


Sins of Omission

by electric_eel



Series: Babylon By Bus [5]
Category: The West Wing
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-23
Updated: 2018-06-07
Packaged: 2019-04-06 19:40:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 42,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14064126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/electric_eel/pseuds/electric_eel
Summary: Part 4 of the Babylon By Bus Series





	1. Chapter 1

Josh sat on the edge of Donna's bed, unable to wipe the satisfied smile off of his face. The night before had been nothing short of perfect and the morning had gotten off to one hell of a start as well. 

"Maybe I'll become a morning person after all," he told her, buttoning his dress shirt for the second time.

She sauntered over and stood between his legs, threading his tie around his collar as his hands absentmindedly found their way to rest on her hips. At this rate they'd never make it to work. 

"I'm home," CJ yelled out as the door slammed from down the hallway. 

Josh and Donna stared at each other intently. They both knew that even though the prior night had been beyond amazing, they still had a lot to talk about. And they probably needed to sort things out for themselves before they brought CJ in on all of this. 

"Shhh. I'll distract her," Donna told him as Josh slid into his coat, glad he'd already dressed once that morning and didn't have his clothing laying around the apartment. Donna pulled on and oversized sweatshirt and some pajama shorts, closing the door behind her and moseying into the living room as if everything was normal. 

But everything wasn't normal. She'd just slept with Josh. He'd told her that he LOVES her. How was she supposed to keep the grin off of her face?

Steeling herself, she put her game face on. "Hey. You're home early." Donna faked a yawn. It was the only thing that she'd had to fake all night. 

"Yeah. The President had to get back. Something in the sit room. I'm surprised you're still here," CJ added. "I thought Josh called you the second he has to go in."

Donna shrugged her shoulders. "Guess not."

Just then Josh's cell phone began to ring loudly from Donna's bedroom. CJ stared at Donna, who stood in the hallway like a deer caught in the headlights. 

"Donna?"

Donna gulped. 

"Are you going to get that?"

"What?" Donna was thrown off. 

CJ looked at Donna like she'd grown another head. "Your cell is ringing. It's probably Josh."

"Oh. Right." Donna didn't move for a minute. She'd briefly forgotten that CJ wouldn't immediately assume the ringing phone was Josh's. 

"I'll call him back. You look like you could use a warm shower. I'll make a pot of coffee," Donna offered, trying to distract CJ so she could get Josh out the door. 

"Yeah. Thanks," CJ sighed. "I've gotta get back in. And it sounds like Josh wants you there too."

CJ wandered down the hall talking to Donna the whole way about the trip and a conversation she'd had with the First Lady and Zoey. As CJ wandered into her bedroom and continued to speak in a raised voice Donna quietly grabbed Josh's hand and tip toed him down the hall and around the corner into the entry way. 

"Sneaky girl," he smirked in a whisper. 

"You like it," she teased, causing Josh to tickle her playfully as she tried her hardest to stay silent. 

CJ continued to talk and Donna tried to bite her lip to prevent herself from making any noise as Josh tried playfully to get her to laugh. 

"Donna?" CJ called, peeking out from her bedroom. 

Donna darted her head around the corner. "Hmm?"

"Did you just giggle?"

"Uhhh... no?"

CJ just stared curiously at her sister for a moment before continuing with her story as she rooted through her closet. 

Donna turned back to Josh, a little relieved that they hadn't been caught. But when she looked at him she saw something different in his eyes. They were burning for her again. She jumped into his arms, kissing him frantically as he reciprocated, her legs wrapping around his waist as he moved them against the wall. She was frantically pulling his shirt tails out of his pants just as his phone began to ring again josh let out a low groan of irritation. 

"You better get that before the man has a stroke," CJ screamed out, thinking that Josh was calling Donna's phone again. 

The two heard the shower turn on and the door to CJs bathroom shut as Josh flipped his phone open, telling Leo he'd be there as soon as possible. He was thanking his lucky stars that he had a spare suit in his office. 

Josh flipped the phone closed and sighed.

"I'm right behind you," she promised him, giving him a soft peck on the lips. "I'll be there in 30 minutes."

"Kay," he told her, leaning in again for a proper kiss goodbye. "I love you," he told her softly, cupping her cheek. 

Donna beamed at his words. "I love you, too," she told him, certain that she'd never tire of him saying that to her. 

They heard the water for the shower shut off and Josh knew he needed to make his exit quietly. He kissed her at least 3 more times, finding it very difficult to leave her presence. Donna quietly latched the door again. 

"Did I just hear the door?" CJ wandered down the hallway, drying her hair with a towel. 

"Why didn't you make coffee," she asked, staring at the empty pot and wondering what Donna had been doing as she turned to her sister. "And why are you all flushed?"

Donna shrugged her shoulders as she made a quick exit to get dressed and head in. "I'm just, uh, a little warm... from, uh... cardio? Yes. A little early morning cardio session. It's good to get your heart rate up in the morning, Ceej!"

CJ stood in her kitchen completely befuddled, laughing a bit but shrugging it off. Her sister had always been quirky. 

Donna closed the door to her bedroom and leaned against it, letting out a breath. They would definitely have to be more careful about that. 

But God, was she happy.


	2. Chapter 2

CJ stood in front of her sister, who causally glanced up from her typing. Neither of them said a word. 

The older woman narrowed her gaze and studied her younger sister, trying to determine what exactly was off for her today. She cocked her head to the side and crossed her arms before announcing her conclusion with finality. 

"You had sex."

Josh, who was strolling back into his office at precisely that moment, choked on his coffee. He turned to stare at Donna, grateful that CJs back was turned to him. 

Donna's fingers stilled briefly on the keyboard and she glanced over at CJ, saying nothing. 

"Get out of here, idiot boy, this doesn't concern you." CJ spouted playfully, very aware that Josh was now stopped dead in his tracks. 

Donna rolled her eyes at both of them, hitting print on her document. 

"He needs this," she gestured to Josh as she rose from chair to walk away from the conversation.

"Aww, come on, Donna," CJ pouted, letting her arms fall defeatedly to her side. "Take pity on me and give me all the juicy details. I've had a long week."

Donna turned and gave her sister a smirk. "Let's just say I don't have any complaints."

CJ returned a mischievous grin but Josh pulled Donna into the office before those two had anything else to say. He peeked his head out of his door, glaring at CJ for a moment. "If that will be all, some of us have work to do around here." He slammed the door and shoved his hands into his pockets, staring at Donna. 

She was grinning at him. 

His steely facade quickly cracked. "No complaints, huh?"

Donna giggled for the second time that morning, closing the space between them as she kissed him on the cheek. "None."

He didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around her, but he let out a deep sigh once she was nestled contently against him. 

"Josh? What does this all mean?"

He let out a sigh. "Honestly, Donna, I don't know. I'm sure of my feelings for you- please don't ever doubt that- but I'll admit. I didn't exactly have a plan. I just knew I didn't want to live without you anymore." He kissed her forehead. "This situation is no less complex than it was last week."

She sighed. 

"Will you come over for dinner tonight? Maybe we can talk about this?"

She glanced up at him, worried what that conversation would entail. 

He sensed her fears and immediately erased them. "I'll resign tomorrow if I need to. I'm not going to lose you again, Donna."

"We'll figure something out," she assured him, caressing his stubbled cheek with her thumb. 

They separated from their embrace, both needing to get back to work. "I've gotta run to The Hill for s meeting," he told her, throwing his coat on and fishing around in his pocket. He pulled his wallet out and handed her his credit card. "Take CJ out to lunch. I work you too much. You guys deserve a break. Plus, I owe her $20. Tell her I said we're even now," he smirked. 

She handed him his backpack and kissed him quickly goodbye as he headed for the door. 

Josh's hand was on the knob as he turned to look at her one final time. "Donna? Tell her. Don't tell her. It's completely up to you."

She nodded her understanding as Josh swaggered off through the bullpen. 

OooooooO

Donna reached over with her chopsticks to eat another of the snow peas that Josh was avoiding in his meal. They'd been eating Chinese out of the box on his couch. 

After he'd invited Donna over Josh began to worry. He'd spent the afternoon obsessing about how she'd remember their "first date." He didn't want to let her down with a night holed up in his apartment. He was a man of occasion, after all. 

But in true Donna style she'd showed with Chinese take out and quickly changed into a pair of his old sweats before curling up with him on the couch. He should have known better- known she wouldn't care about how their evening looked to others. It was one of the things he loved most about her. 

"Thanks for brining dinner," he offered, looking for the words do convey how he felt. "You didn't have to do that."

She shrugged her shoulders casually. "Don't thank me- you paid. I still had your credit card from earlier."

Josh let out a hearty laugh as he rooted around with his fork for a bite of her chicken, avoiding the vegetables lurking in the container. "Of course you did."

"This is nice," he remarked casually. 

She raised an eyebrow at his word selection. 760 verbal and all he chose nice? But she knew Josh, and she understood the sentiment that he was trying to convey. 

She nodded her head slowly in agreement. "It is... nice," she told him, letting a small smile quirk up on the side of he mouth with the last words. "But it's hardly the first time we've eaten Chinese on your couch," she noted. "And all of those times were pretty nice too."

"I'm just glad I don't have to hide the way I feel anymore," he confessed, opening his arm to her. She sat her dinner down and crawled over to him as he pulled her close. 

"You never had to hide it before," she admitted. 

He gave her a small squeeze but remained silent. 

Donna spoke after a few moments. "I didn't tell her."

"What?"

"CJ," Donna clarified. "I didn't tell her."

Josh shifted a bit, honestly surprised by her answer. 

"I just wanted it to be us for a while," Donna continued. "I mean, I knew she'd have questions and I didn't want to speak without you or to make any assumptions or-"

"Slow down," Josh interrupted her rambling. "That's why I wanted to, you know, actually talk about this... about us." He swallowed hard. He hated talking about his feelings. He'd always been bad at this. "Donna, I meant everything I said last night. I love you. I want to be with you.This isn't some kind of... of... experiment. You're the beginning and end of everything to me. This, you, are all there is to me. I want everything. The white picket fence, the kids, the dog and the soccer games on weekends."

Donna stared at Josh, mouth falling somewhat open as she tried to comprehend what he was telling her. 

"Not right now," he assured her, taking her hand. "Right now I just want to be able to to tell you I love you. To spend time with you and to find our rhythm as a couple."

She smiled brightly at him. "I'd like that," she stated softly. 

"Okay," he nodded his head, leaning in to kiss her. It was as easy as that. They'd learn to navigate their new dynamic and then live happily ever after. 

She pulled away after a moment, having a few more things to say. "I think we should set a timeline," she announced. "90 days."

"90 days?"

She nodded her agreement. In 90 days we sit down again. We tell the people who need to know about us. And if either of us is unhappy before that time..."

"Let's not talk about that," Josh interjected. 

"I'm just saying that you can always come to me with how you feel. I know we already spend a lot time with each other... if it doesn't work out I just want you to know you don't have to feel bad. We can be civil. We can be friends. We can work together."

"Kay," he told her, wanting to end the conversation and knowing that if he lost her again wouldn't make it though.

"But in order for this to work- for us to be able to be together and work together- I think we need to lay down a few Rules."

Josh groaned and flopped back against the couch. "C'mon, Donna. No rules. I hate the damn rules."

She rolled her eyes and reached over him to grab a pad of paper and pencil. She felt very strongly about this. "Josh, we both know we need a plan. If this gets out there will be.... obstacles."

Josh nodded his head in defeat. "Leo will separate us."

"The press will have a field day..."

"The GOP will make you out to be..." he cleared his threat, "...something you're not."

They discussed rules to check their discretion and ensure their privacy for the next three months, laying down an outline that would avoid any unnecessary problems. 

OooooooooO

The Rules:

1\. No holding back.  
2\. No lying about their relationship  
3\. Work is work and it stays there  
4\. Only spend 1 night/ week together  
5\. Limit lunch to 2x a week  
6\. No public dates  
7\. No closed door meetings  
8\. No physical contact in the office  
9\. No leaving/ arriving together

OooooooO

Donna was content in his embrace, laying practically on top of him on the couch, her head resting on his chest as his thumb lightly caressed the small of her back. 

They'd covered almost everything that night. They'd both been open and honest with each other and frankly Donna was relieved that he'd been so forthcoming with his feelings. But even with discussion on so many topics one question remained in Donna's mind. She had to know if they were going to start fresh. 

"Josh?" She stirred slightly, not looking at him. 

"Hmmm?"

"That morning in the airport... why'd you let me leave?"

Josh's arms tightened around her as though holding on now would somehow erase the memory of walking away from her. Of their time spent apart. He took a deep breath, trying to determine how to go about this. 

"Because I knew you didn't feel the same way about me. I knew it was just a fling to you."

"What?!" Donna's head rocketed up and she met Josh's gaze. He looked so hurt just speaking about it. 

"You really don't have to say anything," he cut her off, not wanting her to feel guilty. "I just- I wanted to remember all of the good. I didn't want to end the perfect week with a hard no from you. I wanted to do it right. To call you when we were both home and see if you, I don't know... wanted to go out sometime."

"Why would you have ever thought I didn't feel the same way about you? Josh that week was- we were perfectly in sync from the start."

"I, uh, overheard your conversation with CJ that morning," he confessed. "I know it was just sex to you."

Tears began to pool in her eyes and Josh panicked a bit. 

"Donna, it's okay," he assured her hurriedly. "It's in the past."

Donna sniffled a bit. "But it WASN'T. It was never just sex. How could you think that? I thought you knew. I didn't think you could miss the way I felt about you. I was just calling CJ to tell her how much I didn't want to leave you. But I chickened out... I thought she'd think I was being naive about the whole arrangement. You just heard me appeasing her..." The tears began to fall down Donna's cheeks at the realization of everything they'd both wanted, and everything they'd both missed. 

Josh felt like he'd been punched in the gut. All this time he'd thought it was strictly physical to her. 

He wrapped her in his arms again, burying his face in her hair. "We're here now, Donnatella, and that's the only thing that matters."

Josh wasn't sure if he was reassuring Donna or himself with that statement, but he didn't examine the question too closely before continuing. 

"It may not have been in the conventional sense, but you've always had me, Donna. From the moment I met you. And while I have missed being able to hold you more than I can possibly convey, I've been able to have to by my side through much, much more as my assistant and my best friend and there's a part of that I wouldn't change for the world. We've been through a lot together and I think that just makes us stronger. We're not the same people we were four years ago, right?"

She answered him with a soft kiss.


	3. Chapter 3

OoooooooO 

Donna sat at her desk trying to type while wearing stretchy gloves. She was freezing. She knew they had a long night ahead of them but she just wanted to be snuggled under the covers in her warm bed. Well, okay, Josh's warm bed. But it's where she slept more nights than not. The 1 night a week rule was broken more than it was enforced. 

"Hey- you look really cute in that hat."

Speak of the devil. "Thanks."

He looked around. There was no one near by so he stepped closer to her desk, feeling increasingly bold as he approached her. He bent down, wanting it to look like he was reading over her shoulder if anyone walked by. "Keep typing," he instructed, stating intently at her screen. 

"If we were alone, you wouldn't need the hat." He whispers in a husky voice. "or the scarf, or the gloves. You wouldn't need your clothes at all."

A small smile crossed Donna's face. So that's the game he wants to play? 

Josh continued, his voice a husky whisper. "I'd unbutton your blouse and unzip your skirt. I'd peel them off you very slowly. I can picture you laying across my desk in just that black lacy bra and panties that I know you're wearing. You'd have goose bumps covering your body, and my hands roaming all over you. I'd kiss every inch of you until you were completely warmed up. Then I'd-"

"Hey Josh!" Sam's voice breaks through the haze he's created for both of them. "CJ's got a question about the seating chart and I was thinking. You know, there's a fireplace in the mural room."

"A fire place in the Mural Room?" Donna was skeptical of whatever idea Sam was formulating, and frankly quite distracted. 

"Just waiting for us to put to good use!" Sam was clearly excited. "Can you think of a better way to warm up?"

Donna said nothing, but she most definitely could think of at least one preferable way to warm up. 

OoooooooO 

Josh sat at his computer, typing a revision to Toby's outline for the leadership breakfast. He didn't even hear Donna walk up behind him. 

"I've been thinking about what you said to me," she whispered in his ear, taking a low, sultry tone. "Actually I can't stop thinking about it..." she reached out ran her hand up his leg. 

Josh's eyebrows shot up at her voice, able to feel her warm breath on his neck. "N-Number Eight. No touching at work." It was his only chance at a defense. 

"Oh, Joshua," she continued undeterred, "I thought you liked it when we broke the rules. I was particularly naughty last night and you didn't seem to mind."

Josh moved slightly in his chair, turning to face her. "Eyes on the screen," she instructed him, wanting it to look like they were both engrossed in a memo. 

"And speaking of last night... you know that little thing I did at the end? I think I'll do that again tonight," she told him, dropping her voice once again as she looked over at him. "But with my tongue."

He groaned and squeezed his eyes closed, trying to hold on to what little control he had left. 

"Josh, the President needs us," Sam poked his head in as he walked by the office. 

Josh jumped a bit at Sam's voice. He'd forgotten where he was for a moment. "Kay," he almost squeaked. 

Donna stood up and slowly walked back towards her desk, suppressing a smile. She'd definitely won this round. 

"Josh?" Sam asked again. "Are you coming or what?"

Josh cleared his throat, unable to look Sam in the eye at the moment. "Yeah." He squirmed a bit in his chair knowing he'd need a minute before he could stand up and not give anything away. "Go ahead. I'm right behind you."

Josh took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair, a smirk spreading across his face. She surprised him every day. 

OoooooooO 

"Josh?" Leo beckoned him into the Chief of Staff's office. "You feeling alright?" 

"Yeah."

"You sure?"

"Yeah." And he was. Josh hadn't felt this good about his life in... well, years. It seemed like the stars were aligning for him. 

But what surprised Josh most of all was that he was beginning to realize that he didn't get up in the morning for politics anymore. No, the best part of his life was most certainly Donna. 

OoooooooO 

"I'm coming over."

"You are?"

"I am." Donna smiled into her phone and she walked hurriedly down the street. 

"And to what do I owe the pleasure, Miss Four-Nights-This-Week?" He'd tried to convince her all afternoon to come over, but she'd insisted they had to stop breaking The Rules. 

He found himself smiling at her announcement; his apartment seemed empty without her. 

"I'm done with the thing," she told him, crossing the street at the light, "and I need to debrief you."

"Well, if you must," he bantered. 

"I must." Her tone remained neutral but she had a mischievous grin on her face. She knew what she'd said. 

"But I wear boxers. I hope that won't be a problem," he bantered back at her, but suddenly stopped joking. "Donna? You're walking. I've asked you not to walk."

She sighed. "It's five blocks in a good neighborhood, Joshua. I'm a big girl. I can walk if I want to."

"Donna, what if something happened to you?! What if-"

Donna sighed as she hailed a cab. She wasn't up for another round of Josh's worrying. "I'm getting in a cab. I'll see you in 5 minutes."

"Kay," he told her, immediately calming down. She'd be there shortly but he had no intention to end the call- not when he could spend the extra time just listening to her voice. 

OoooooooO 

X-ray vision. Josh shook his head. She thought she was pretty funny sometimes. And most of the time he was. 

He absentmindedly tore into the package and couldn't believe his eyes. Someone sent him a pair of Donna's panties. Was this a warning shot? We're they about to be attacked? How on earth did they even get them? 

First question: friend or foe? He looked for a return address. Nothing. He looked inside the package again. Ah. A note. He flipped it open and his eyes went straight to the signature. Karen Cahill. Shit. Not exactly friend, but, he supposed, not exactly foe, either. 

Josh--  
Your lovely albeit a bit eccentric assistant left these behind at the South Street Exhibit. There are some things even I don't want to know about. Good luck trying to deal with this one in her annual review.  
\--Karen  
P.S. You owe me one.

Okay, they might have to pay for this later. But for the moment, however fleeting, everything seemed fine. Karen didn't insinuate anything about the two of them. There was no way she could know. Donna must have made a good impression since Karen decided to return them. Although, of course she couldn't resist adding that Josh owed her one. But, he supposed, that was how the game was played. 

Knowing there was no immediate crisis, he picked up the contents of the package, stuffing Donna's underwear discreetly into his hand. At least he could have some fun with this, he thought as he sauntered back out to the bullpen. 

He'd hoped that she would be alone, but Sam remained where Josh had left him. Given the circumstances, however, Josh didn't mind a witness. Sam would get a kick out of this. 

"I'm holding... your underwear... in my hand... right now. And the way I know  
it's your underwear is that your name sewn in the back, which is obviously something  
we'll spend some time talking about at a later date." Okay, so he didn't need the label to tell them who they belonged to. He was intimately acquainted with her undergarments at this point. 

"How did you get my underwear?" She, in general, knew the answer to that. But she wasn't sure why he was holding them in the bullpen. It was no way to be discreet. 

"Donna, did you by any chance where the same pair of pants two days in a row  
this week?"

"No." She'd honestly forgotten that Sam was standing there. Josh was staring at her so intently she felt like she could ignite. 

"Donna?"

Ugh. "Yes."

"Okay, when you get dressed on day two did you check the pant leg for the previous day's underwear?"

"I don't need to check the pant leg for...

"Donna."

"They fell out of my pants?" He was enjoying this, wasn't he? He actually had a legitimate excuse to stand in the middle of the bullpen fondling her panties. His eyes were dancing and he could barely contain himself. There was no two ways about it- Josh was amused to no end about this whole situation. And he also had some kind of macho thing going on, having only previously seen her underwear in intimate situations. Call it a Pavlovian response but he just wanted to take her in his office and... well, break must if the rules. It was a good thing Sam was standing right there to reign in Josh's thoughts. 

"It would appear that way."

"Where?"

"The South Street exhibit."

"Where?"

"On the floor in front of Karen Cahill." Oh God. This was not happening. 

"Please tell me she's not the one..."

"She sent a note."

Donna could have died. She wished she'd just be swallowed up at that very moment. But at least it appeared that this was all fairly... coincidental. Karen Cahill had only sent her underwear to Josh because he was Donna's boss, not because she had a hunch anything was going on. 

Josh stared at her, holding the underwear. She knew this wouldn't be the end of this. 

CJ walked by and summoned them, and Donna was immediately grateful for the reprieve. She stuffed her panties out of sight as soon as he tossed them to her and began to follow Sam towards the briefing room. He paused momentarily and doubled back, stepping into his office and summoning her quickly with a nod of his head. 

He stood very close to her, dropping his head slightly. "If you're not wearing those and you're not wearing the pair a pair pair I saw you put on yesterday... what are you wearing under that skirt?"

"Nothing," she whispered back, a confident smile on her face as she gave his tie a playful little tug. 

Josh groaned at the thought, his hand immediately gravitating to her hip and his index finger running along the waistline of her skirt. "You're killing me here, Donnatella."

She playfully stepped back from him. "I believe you're needed by the press secretary," she told him. 

Josh sighed in defeat. "Fine. But we're leaving early tonight."

OoooooooO

"Why were you holding women's underwear before?"

"Never really needed a reason," Josh choked out. 

"You need a reason when they belong to my baby sister, idiot boy."

Josh gulped. True, he had a legitimate story for what happened in this particular instance, but he didn't really want to get into that at this particular moment. He opted instead for deflection. "Eat 'em up..." he told her, opening the door to the press room for CJ.

She walked through to the gaggle and turned to shoot him a glare. "This isn't over."

Josh let a breath escape through pursed lips. He'd let Donna handle this one. 

OoooooooO 

"This is your fault, you know," she pouted. 

"Me?!"

"Yes. You. You get me... roped into things."

Josh popped the top from a beer and rounded the corner out of the living room, leaning over to where she sat to give her a kiss hello and then flop down. 

"I didn't rope you into anything. This whole mess was you and Sam and Leo. I wanted nothing to do with it from the beginning."

She shot him a glare. "This has all the markings of a Josh Lyman debacle written all over it."

"Actually," he shot back, "you're the one in the relationship with the problem leaving your mark. Really, Donna? Your name in your underwear?"

She blushed from head to toe, an attribute he found even more endearing now that he knew first hand that she actually blushed all over. 

"You're adorable," he told her with a grin. "But seriously, Donna... there's no getting around who your panties belong to if your NAME is sewn into them," he chuckled a bit. "If you're putting your laundry in with mine when we send it out we have to be aware of what that could mean for us. Are you ready for that?"

She looked him in the eye with all of the confidence in the world. "I certainly have nothing to be embarrassed about. And when it comes to you I never have and never will. I understand why we have to be careful, and I think we've made the right choices up to this point but honestly, Joshua, if that's how it all comes out then so be it. I have nothing to hide when it comes to you."

He didn't have anything to hide either. If it were up to him he'd take out billboard space to show the world that he loved her. "Kay," he nodded his head slowly in total agreement before changing the subject. "So, uh, What did CJ say?"

Donna rolled her eyes, taking a drink of Josh's beer. "I told her the whole story. And when she stopped laughing and could actually breathe again she didn't say much of anything. She just picked up the phone and called our cousin Pam and told the whole story. Nothing is sacred."

Josh laughed at her indignation. 

"But let's not get away from the root of all of this," she pointed at him. "You."

"I still don't see how this is my fault."

"Because! I had to re-wear my pants!"

"Can't say I'm following your logic here, Donnatella."

"I was over here the night before and I had to re-wear my pants because I didn't have a change of clothes here after I spent the night on Tuesday and that's what caused this whole... thing." She was gesticulating wildly as she spoke. 

He sat silently for a beat before speaking slowly and confidently. "Well... I can think of a pretty easy solution to that."

"Oh?" She was skeptical. 

"Yeah. Move in with me."

Donna froze. Had she heard him correctly? She slowly turned her head to face him, halfway expecting him to be kidding. But instead she was met with a look of total vulnerability. 

"You're serious?"

He nodded slowly. "I am."

She didn't know what to say. God, of course she wanted to. 

"Of course I want to. But... how?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "All I know is that this place doesn't feel like home when you're not here. I want to go to sleep with you every night and wake up next to you every morning, Donna. And I'll figure the rest out as we go."

Donna but her lip. This wasn't part of the plan. This violated just about every rule they had. 

"You don't want to," Josh surmised. "That's, uh, okay. I understand," he stared at his hands. "I know it's fast. I don't want you to rush into anything you're uncomfortable with."

"No!" She quickly interjected. They promised each other they'd talk about how they felt. "It's not okay. And it's not that I don't want to. I do want to, Josh. I want it more than anything. But... 90 days. We said 90 days. I don't think I can get away with living here if we're not going to tell anyone about our relationship. I mean, CJ will notice if I don't come back to the apartment."

"You hardly go back there now."

"But my stuff would be gone."

Josh nodded his head. He understood what she was saying. "Okay, lets compromise," he opened his arms do her and she crawled across the couch. "You discreetly bring some more of your things over so you don't have to worry about going back and forth as often. And on Day 90 I ask you again."

She curled into him, molding their bodies together. "How about I just bring my some of my things over and unofficially-officially live here. And then on Day 90 you don't have to ask again. Well just make it official-official and the rest of my things will move in?"

"Deal," he told her, sealing it with a kiss.


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey,” Donna hesitantly slipped into Sam’s office. It was late and hardly anyone remained in the West Wing.  
   
Sam looked up from his typing, not saying anything.  
   
“I just wanted to see how you were doing,” Donna offered.  
   
“Fine.” Rarely was Sam short, but he just couldn’t bring himself to speak about his father with anything less than bile on his tongue.  
   
Donna nodded her head. Sam had always been such a great friend. “Listen, I know it’s not my place but- well, I just wanted to say I was sorry to hear about your father. If you need to talk to someone my door is always open. Well, I suppose I don't have a door but you know what I'm saying," she rambled on. "My Dad- well, let’s just say my mother left for a very similar reason.”  
   
“Donna, I’m sorry. I had no idea.” Sam felt bad for acting as if no one would understand.  
   
“Its okay,” she waived him off. “There’s no way for you to have known. I just- I wanted to let you know I’m here. If you want some company or you just need a hug or something.”  
   
Sam gave her a sad smile- but a smile nonetheless. The girl certainly had a heart of gold. “Thanks, Donna.”  
   
She nodded slightly. “I’m going to get out of here,” she told him. “You should go home, too. Get some sleep, Sam.”  
   
OoooooooooO  
   
“What were you talking to Sam about?” Josh rooted around in the fridge looking for anything edible.  
   
She shot him a smirk from where she sat, perched on the counter top, swinging her feet. “Are you jealous, Joshua?” She cocked her head at him and shot him a small smile.  
   
“Maybe,” he kid, sauntering over to her and wrapping his arms around her waist. “Should I be?”  
   
“Idunno…” Donna quipped. “Sam’s a nice guy…. But then again you are handsome and powerful.” She kissed him, assuming that would be the end of the conversation.  
   
“What did you say though?” Josh stepped back, knowing he was powerless in her embrace. He took a drink of the bottle of water he’d grabbed from the fridge before handing it to her and loosening his tie.  
   
“Nosy man,” she scolded him between sips.  
   
“Just asking.” But Josh had a horrible poker face.  
   
And while Donna knew that she could have played with him a bit she didn’t want to. “I was just asking how he was doing after all of this with his father,” she told him. “I- My dad- he, um… there was always someone else when he was married to my mother.”  
   
Josh stopped his movements and stared at her. He’d had no idea. He’d grown up with two parents who loved each other. This made a lot of sense, though, he thought. Freeride’s role in her life was certainly beginning to fall into place.  
   
He made his way back to her and wrapped her in his arms. “I’m sorry. I had no idea.” He kissed her head. “Do you want to talk about it?”  
   
“No,” she told him confidently, resting her head on his shoulder. It had been years, she didn’t want to get into it all with Josh.  
   
He didn’t move, steadfast in his embrace. It made him angry, there was no doubt about it, but more than anything he felt the need to reassure her. “Donna? You know that I would never-“  
   
“I know,” she told him.  
   
“I’m serious,” he began again. “There’s nothing and no one that could ever-“  
   
“I know,” she cut him off again. “Believe me, Josh. I know.” She pecked him on the cheek and hopped down from the counter. “Now, lets go to bed.”  
   
OoooooooooO  
   
CJ needed a criminal mind equal to her own. Fortunately, she knew just where to turn. “Donna!”  
   
She explained the situation and implored her sister to lend her a hand.  
   
“So you’re telling me that the ugly potpourri holder on the hall table is actually a priceless Egyptian relic?”  
   
“Well… yes.”  
   
“I see,” Donna nodded. “And you need me to fix it even though you’ve already crazy glued the hell out of it.”

"Look..."  
   
“And you’re telling me it has magical powers and seeks revenge on all who dare cross it.”  
   
“Well…”  
   
“No, no. That actually makes sense. Josh meows at it every time he comes over.”  
   
“So you’ll help me?”

“CJ what am I going to do about it?!”  
   
“I don’t know! You fixed that ugly windmill statue in the living room when Greg and Kyle broke it playing football in the house.”  
   
“That’s true. Mom hasn’t said anything about that and it’s been, what, fifteen years?”  
   
“So what did you do to fix it?” CJ was listening anxiously, ready to take notes.  
   
“Glue and nail polish. And then moved it to the top shelf.” Donna wrinkled her nose and bit a nail. That probably wouldn’t work for CJ.  
   
“Seriously?” CJ was dejected. “Nevermind. I’ll keep thinking.” She walked briskly down the hallway towards her office, leaving Donna standing in Josh’s bullpen.  
   
“Don’t tell Mom!” Donna yelled out as CJ left. The President’s priceless relic was one thing, but her mother’s windmill statue? Well, she didn’t want to have to take the heat for that one.  
   
OoooooooooO  
   
“Did you email Dad?”  
   
“Working on it now.”  
   
“I hope he isn’t too disappointed.” Donna leaned across CJ’s desk and glanced at the computer screen. “Tell him I said Happy Birthday,” she added, sitting back down in the visitors chair and eating a slice of pizza she’d snagged from the press room.

"Are we still going to be able to make the next flight out?"

"Should be," CJ nodded. "The night is still young. Stackhouse can't have that much stamina left."

"I can't wait," Donna announced.

"Did you pack that hat?" CJ didn't look up from her typing. "I feel like it's very wine country chic?"

"Hat?" Donna furrowed her brow. "Oh, The one that Josh bought me?" It was too late- the words had already slipped out of her mouth. I'd CJ knew the origin of the large hat that she stored carefully in her closet the whole gig would be up. Josh bought her that hat on vacation and she'd taken great steps to ensure that no one knew that  

CJ just laughed though. "The one that Josh bought you?! You mean that one from the truck stop in Kentucky that says 'Mrs. Always Right' on it in hot pink letters? Not my idea of wine country chic."

"Oh. Yeah. The one with the big brim," Donna laughed it off and squirmed in her chair. "I bought new sunglasses. They're very Jackie O. They'll go well with that. Anyway, what time is the flight? I might, um, meet you at the airport?"  
   
"Good God, woman," CJ gaped at her. "You're going to see him, aren't you? How much sex can two people have?!"

Donna didn't hide her grin. "A lot."

CJ sat back in her chair and raised her eyebrows. She could use a good girl talk session. She hadn't seen much of her sister and closest friend recently. "It's that good, huh?"

"Better."

"Really? Do tell."

Donna shrugged her shoulders. She didn't know what to say, exactly.

"Better than your island stud?"

"CJ!"

"Well? What do you want from me? You've been holed up with some mystery man for weeks on end. You're practically living there and you've been walking around with this starry eyes look on your face for weeks. Did you think I wouldn't ask questions?"

Donna sighed. She didn't want to leave CJ in the dark... but everything was just going so perfectly with Josh. She didn't want to rock the boat. "It's just... its real. It's all so new and fresh and..."

CJ studied her sister and took a completely different tone once she saw the sincerity in Donna's words. "Donna? Is he the one?"

Donna smiled genuinely. "Yeah. He is."

CJ slowly nodded her comprehension. "Okay. I understand. You have your right to privacy. Do what you need to, Donna. But don't forget that I'm here if you want to talk. And when you're ready to introduce him I'll welcome him with open arms, okay? If you say he's the one and he treats you right then he's fine by me, okay?" She sat up and leaned forward on her desk. She noticed a sparkle in her sister's eyes that had taken up residence for the past few weeks. "I'm happy for you, Donna."

"Thank you," Donna said sincerely. "For everything." And she meant it.

OoooooooooO  
   
“You're flying to Florida to see the Mets play another team in a game that doesn't count?”   
   
“Actually, it's an intrasquad game.”   
   
“So you're flying to Florida to see the Mets play each other in a game that doesn't count.”  Hmmm. Didn’t actually seem like that viable of an excuse to get out of going to Napa for her step father’s 70th birthday. But in Josh’s defense, he did have the trip planned before she’d asked him. And really, she hadn’t tried very hard to convince him to go. Things were going fantastically between them, and she wasn’t sure what a weekend with the Moss/ Cregg family would do to the delicate balance they’d created. Her protective big brothers were one thing, but adding in a cross country flight with CJ having kittens over their less than full disclosure- well, that would make anyone think twice before booking a ticket to California.  
   
“Yeah.”   
   
“Okay. Uh... there's a Continental flight out of Dulles at seven A.M., you change planes in Newark.”  
   
“I gotta fly to New Jersey to get to Palm Beach?”  
   
“Look...”   
   
“Whatever. Just make sure that tomorrow morning...”   
   
“Mike Piazza calls you "dude."   
   
“Yes.”  Josh returned to his typing, glad that they had that all straightened out.  
   
“What are you doing?   
   
“I'm writing an e-mail to my mother.”   
   
“Why?”  It was reflex. She asked him everything. Donna was sure that there was practically no aspect of his life in which she wasn’t well versed. And if something popped up, she wasn’t afraid to wade in hip deep. Their lives were almost completely interwoven.  
   
“To thank her for a pair of shoes she sent me.”  
   
“Your mother sent you shoes?” Donna decided in that moment that her Joshua Lyman was absolutely the most adorable man on earth.  
   
Josh sighed. “Donna, please try and keep it...”   
   
“That is the sweetest thing I...” She got a starry eyed look on her face, her hand reaching out to touch him. Josh knew where comments like that usually lead, and though the generally didn’t mind breaking their rules, he knew it wouldn’t do them any good if Donna was curled up on his lap in his office while the entire West Wing wandered by.  
   
“Donna?”   
   
“Okay.” She wandered out to her desk, knowing the only thing that would keep her from kissing him on the spot was physical distance.  
   
Josh turned back to his computer.  
   
 _Donna says hi, Mom._  
   
   
OoooooooooO  
   
Josh locked the deadbolt behind them before pinning Donna against the door and kissing the air out of her lungs. “I’ve been waiting all night to do that,” he confessed.  
   
“Well, wait no longer,” she quipped.  
   
“Seriously, Donna,” he cupped her face. “I’m so proud of you every day, but tonight- tonight you blew me away.”  
   
She blushed at his praise. “It was nothing,” she muttered.  
   
“Nothing?! Donna, you single handedly saved the day. You were incredible!” He began to gently undo the buttons on her jacket sliding it off of her shoulders as she reached for his tie. “Shhhh,” he told her as he picked her up and carried her down the hall. “We’ve got all night and I’m going to show you just how valuable you are to me.”  
   
OoooooooooO  
   
They lay under a blanket, Donna on her back with Josh propped up on his side next to her, watching her with sheer adoration as he propped himself up on his elbow. 

"I'm so proud of you," he told her for what had to be the tenth time since they'd gotten home. He'd showed her a few times too. "Think about how many kids you helped today."

She smiled. That aspect did feel the most rewarding to her.

"Do you, uh, want kids? I mean someday? Maybe?"

"I do," she hedged. "Do you?"

Before he'd met Donna the answer would have been a resounding no. But now, he caught himself thinking about it. About her and a curly headed little kid calling her Mom. He smiled gently. "Yes. I do. With you I want it all," he leaned down to give her a chaste kiss, returning to his side and sitting in a comfortable silence, a little lost in his own thoughts for a few moments.  
   
“I heard a rumor about you today,” he told her softly, his hand still mindlessly wandering her bare body under the sheets.  
   
“Oh?”  
   
Josh couldn’t help but laugh a bit as he spoke. “Did you raise your hand in the Oval today, Donnatella?”  
   
“I didn’t know what to do! I’ve never been in there without you before!” She defended herself, clearly feeling a bit embarrassed about the whole situation.  
   
He smiled at her. "You're adorable. But I swear Donna, if he implements that policy and Toby and I have to start raising our hands to speak at senior staff meetings..." he tickled her side, causing her to laugh. "I'm going to start calling you Miss Goody-Good. So well behaved when you're at work," he kissed her collar bone before whispering in her ear. "But not such a rule follower when you're at home, are you?"

"You like it," Donna stayed confidently.

He grinned. "I do."  
   
"CJ has a nickname for you, you know," Donna smirked at him.   
   
Josh raised his eyebrows. "Okaaaayyy..."  
   
"Well, not you, but you."  
   
He chuckled softly. "I've gotta say, Donna, you didn't really clear that up."  
   
"She calls you Island Stud," Donna confessed with a smile, the explanation self contained.   
   
Josh's chest puffed out a bit. "Well if the shoe fits..."  
   
She smacked his arm lightly as an easy silence fell in the room, Donna content with simply having him close.   
   
Josh's smile slowly slipped from one of arrogance to soft reminisce as he toyed with the fringe on the blanket, not looking at Donna.   
   
He cleared his throat, speaking softly. "My dad had a nickname for you too," he offered.   
   
"Oh?" Donna would normally have been expecting a punch line but she could easily tell by the expression on his face that Josh wasn't kidding around.   
   
"Yeah." Josh dropped the blanket he had been absentmindedly thumbing and pulled her close, kissing her temple. "He always referred to you as Mrs. Lyman." 


	5. Chapter 5

"DONNA!" Josh sometimes bellowed for sport. It wasn't an emergency, but he she'd get all huffy when he yelled and he always thought it was cute when she was feisty. 

"What, Joshua?" Donna closed the door and put her hand on her hips, tapping her foot. 

He bit back a grin. Just as predicted, he thought. 

"My watch stopped."

"And this is supposed to surprise me?"

"A watch joke. Ha-Ha, very funny," he smirked at her, removing the timepiece from his wrist and handing it to her. 

"Drop it at the jeweler on K Street when you're over there for the thing tonight, would you?"

"Why don't you get a new watch, Josh? Is this thing even worth repairing?"

He faked indignation, opening his mouth for a tirade about his watch. 

She held her hand up to silence him. "Never mind. I'm late anyway."

She began to walk away but Josh stopped her. "Hey, wait a minute," he gently grabbed her hand and tugged her close. "Don't I get to kiss you goodbye," he asked softly. 

She was a bit caught off guard. It was he middle of the afternoon on a Thursday. He didn't kiss her goodbye when she ran errands at work, but she definitely didn't dislike the prospect. 

She gave him a soft peck but he pulled her closer, deepening the kiss into something tender and passionate. He pulled away, leaving her a little stunned, and tucked her hair behind her ears. "Be safe. I love you." He pecked her on the lips again. "Drop your necklace off while you're there to get it cleaned," he added nonchalantly, dropping into his office chair to return to reading his memos. 

"Kay," she told him, wandering back out of his office. 

He picked up the phone as soon as he was sure she was gone, dialing the number and leaving a message. "Hi Walter. Yeah, Donna's on the way over now to drop them off. Put it in the platinum engagement setting I picked out last week and call my cell when it's ready for pick up."

He ended the call and sat back, unable to wipe the smile off of his face. It was time to make good on his promise. 

OooooooooooO

Josh had sent her home after she ran a few errands, promising her that he wouldn’t be far behind. But that was hours ago and there was still no sign of him. Normally if something came up he’d call her but, as she checked her phone again, he hadn’t done that either. 

She washed her face and slipped into one of his shirts, crawling into her side of the bed. Things happened, she knew that, she just hoped he was okay.

Donna dozed off at some point, waking later when she felt Josh slide into bed next to her and pull her close. Her eyes fluttered open and she gave him a soft smile, so content to have his arms wrapped around her.

“Go back to sleep,” he whispered, kissing her forehead.

Something caught Donna’s attention and she pulled away just a bit to look at him. “Have you been drinking?”

“Go back to sleep,” he told her, trying to pull her close again. 

Donna sat up, trying to figure out what was wrong. She could tell something was off with him.

“Josh?”

“Donna, seriously, lay down.” He wasn’t in the mood to talk right now. “Please,” he added, a little softer. 

“You’re okay?” she asked tentatively as she curled into him again. 

“I am,” he assured her. Or at least he was better now, now that he had come home to her.

She softly rubbed his arm and kissed his collarbone. “Three days,” she told him, counting down the time until they could go public with their relationship. Josh gulped a bit, not wanting to tell her that there were outside factors at work when it came to their timeline. Donna knew whatever was keeping Josh up had to be a complex situation, but she knew that if it could be resolved Josh was the one to handle it. She dozed peacefully, afterall, she was sleeping next to the brightest mind in politics. 

Josh listened to Donna’s breathing find a slow rhythm as she fell back into a deep slumber. The last thing he wanted was to worry her. He made a mental note to work on that- but he also knew that no matter the face he put forward, Donna could usually see through it. 

He just couldn’t believe it. He left the Oval that night feeling like he’d hit a brick wall. He’d felt a wide range of emotion that night regarding the President’s disclosure of the MS diagnosis, but as he lay awake listening to the minutes tick by. He’d wasted most of the night being angry, it was time to get to work. 

OooooooooO

Josh was late returning home every night that week. He seemed more and more on edge and Donna couldn’t exactly pinpoint the reason. She knew he was wading into a fight on tobacco, but she didn’t think that was it. She didn’t pry too much, though, knowing there were some things that she just couldn’t know. If he could discuss this with her, she was confident that he would.

He’d drag himself to bed for a few short hours of sleep, usually too restless to actually sleep until Donna took over. She slowly work him out of his poor mood and racing mind, relaxing him until he would make love to her, losing himself in her for a few moments. After that, he’d more often than not fall asleep wrapped up in her. 

He’d be gone by the time she woke up the next morning, but she would faintly remember him kissing her goodbye. This morning was no exception. But her days of hiding her feelings and her relationship were coming to a close, she reminded herself as she stopped off for his breakfast before heading to the White House to join him.

“You look good today,” she tugged on his tie, forcing him to lean a little closer to her so she could sneak a kiss. She was glad she’d closed the door behind her on the way in to his office.

“Thanks, my girlfriend bought me this suit,” he quipped. 

“Well, she has excellent taste,” Donna smiled, letting go of his tie and snaking her hands inside of his jacket. “And in two days all the girls will be jealous of her, standing next to her man in a well tailored suit.”

Josh sighed. “Donna, we need to talk about that.” He hadn’t intended to do this now, but the subject came up and frankly he wasn’t sure when he’d see the inside of their apartment again. 

She froze. “Oh?” But while she tried to steel herself, her insides were shaking. Had he changed his mind? Now that it wouldn’t be their little secret did he not want to proceed.

“It’s not you, Donna.” He could practically read her mind. “God, its definitely nothing to do with you. You’re incredible. And what we have… it’s perfect. It’s just… not the right time.”

Donna bit her lip, but nodded her head in understanding. She knew something was going on… something big. Josh tried to hide it- and succeeded fairly well, but she could tell the stress was weighing on him. 

“I need you to trust me,” he continued.

“I do,” she interjected without hesitation.

“Donna, I love you. That’s not going to change. And this has nothing to do with the way I feel about you. I just… I think we should wait. Not forever, just… a while,” he sighed. “If you don’t want to, I understand. I’ll figure out a way to deal with the fallout. I can resign and we can go live on that secluded island.”

She smiled. “Where you told me you’d build a shelter and hunt for our food?”

He gave her a smirk, kissing her quickly. “That’s the one.”

She laughed. “You think after all these years I’m going to fall for that? I said it then and I’ll say it now… We’d starve!”

“I could do it. I’m an-”

“Don’t say it.”

“…Outdoorsman.”

Donna rolled her eyes. 

“Your confidence in me knows no limits,” he quipped, knowing she was only kidding.

“My confidence in you is endless, Joshua. And I know you have the situation under control. If it’s not time, it’s not time. You’ll tell me when it is. I trust you.” She gave him a soft smile and picked up a stack of folders, making her way back to her desk.

OoooooooooO

“Donna, I have to tell you something.” He was perched on his desk as she stood in front of him. He was glad this endless day was almost over.

“What,” she asked him, wide eyed.

“The sky isn’t falling,” Josh smirked. “The press office gets those faxes once a week.”

“So everything is fine? Because it said that a Chinese satellite…”

“I know what it said,” he assured her. “Nothings going to happen,” he wrapped his arms around her. “And if something was going to happen do you honestly think I’d just let you walk around outside?” he chuckled a bit. “I’ll always keep you safe,” he assured her, kissing her on the temple, promising himself more than Donna. And he knew that he wasn’t speaking about space debris anymore. 

“Sweetheart, I need you to do something for me.” Josh kissed her forehead, his tone changing considerably. He’d been deep in thought for the last 4 days, showing almost every range of emotions she could think of, but today he seemed back to his normal political operative self. “I need you to go back to your apartment tonight, okay?”

She leaned her head back and searched his eyes, unsure of what he was asking her to do. 

“Just for the night,” he assured her. “But I need you to do it casually. Don’t make a big deal about it, don’t tell CJ I sent you there.”

She studied him a little longer. “This is whatever has been bothering you all week? It’s time for CJ to know?”

He nodded affirmatively. Donna picked up on everything.

“Okay,” she assured him, pleased that he was looking after her big sister in his own way. “Are you going to be okay?” Her hand found its way to his cheek, rough and unshaven from multiple days with no time to stop and shave.

“I am,” he assured her. “It’s just that there’s a lot going on with tobacco and…”

“Shh..” she told him, just content to be held for a rare quiet moment. She knew it wasn’t tobacco. But she understood he’d tell her when he could. 

After a few moments he kissed the top of her head, told her he loved her and they both got back to work. 

Josh knew they were about to walk into the unknown. And while he had a million things on his mind, he was only certain of one: he wasn’t going to lose her.


	6. Chapter 6

Josh had spent the majority of the night holed up in his office, but he left as early as he possibly could. He had a lot to do. He’d picked up the supplies he’d ordered from various places around town and headed back to his brownstone, lugging boxes up the stairs in several trips. He was determined in his actions and glad that he knew Donna wouldn't be walking in on anything, having guaranteed she was spending the night at CJ's. From there he’d rearranged his furniture, scooting it to the outer edges. He’d carefully nailed a large wall size print of Charlotte Amalie at sunset to suspend from his ceiling and arranged a table for their dinner in front of it, setting up a sound machine to make subtle ocean noises in the background. Josh stepped back and looked at his handiwork. Not too bad, he told himself just as the doorbell rang.

 

The delivery from the florist was exactly what he’d been looking for. He’d ordered hundreds of tropical blooms in simple vases and several indoor sized palm trees, making their beach oasis in his brownstone come to life. He'd even ordered a fancy dinner from her favorite restaurant to be delivered the following night. He thought the overall effect would be what he was going for. He then wandered back to his bedroom, hanging a few pieces of white linen around his bed to recreate their beach cabana. 

He’d add the final touches tomorrow, light the candles, and pray she’d say yes.

 

OoooooooO

 

“Donna!” Josh bellowed from his office as he gathered his things.

 

She appeared in his doorway in no time.

 

“I have meetings all afternoon. Page me if you need me.”

 

“Kay,” she told him.

 

“See you at home?” He asked quietly and she nodded affirmatively. “I’ll have dinner waiting. Will you be there by 6?”

 

He tried to suppress the smile on his face as he kissed her cheek and left. He had a lot to do.

 

OooooooO

 

Josh watched nervously from his front window, waiting to catch a glimpse of Donna on the sidewalk. He was dressed in a linen shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of khaki shorts, no shoes. Dinner was waiting on the table under a pair of warming covers, the fresh flowers were distributed and the candles were lit. He was as ready as he could possibly be.

 

A ball of nervous energy, he sprung into action as soon as he saw her step out of a cab in front of their building. He practically ran over to the door, taping an envelope with her name to the front and taking his place on the makeshift beach. This was it.

 

Donna drug herself up the stairs, exhausted after a long day in heels that were a half size too small. She fished for her keys, noticing the envelope on the front door. She opened it following the instructions to read it before she came inside.

 

He explained in the letter that he didn’t fully trust himself to get this all out right, so if she’d please indulge him he’d be grateful. He told her that she deserved the world, and he wanted to give it to her. He told her that if he could, if it would have been at all possible, he would have flown her back to the beach where they first met. That’s always how he’d envisioned it. And then he instructed her to come inside.

 

Donna was definitely quite confused with the note, but it all clicked as she opened the door their apartment and was immediately transported to another place and time.

 

She gasp lightly at the sight of him standing before her. “Josh.” She dropped her belongings and began to approach him.

 

“Donnatella,” he began, suddenly forgetting everything eloquent that he’d planned to say beforehand. “Will you marry me?”

 

He pulled out the ring he’d picked up from the jeweler earlier that day and dropped onto one knee. This was it. The moment of truth.

 

Donna’s eyes widened as she stared at him. She couldn’t believe what was happening. She could hear her heart pounding in her chest as her mouth fell open slightly.

 

In reality, only a second had passed, but to Josh and his nerves it seemed like an eternity.

 

Donna leaned down and kissed him softly on the lips. “Of course I will,” she responded, lingering only centimeters from him before kissing him again. She pulled away, extending a hand to help him up and watching closely as Josh slid the ring onto her left hand. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself as close to him as she could manage. His arms snaked around her waist and he leaned down, whispering softly in her ear and punctuating each sentence with a kiss on her jaw.

 

You’re beautiful.

 

You’re brilliant.

 

You’re kind.

 

I love you.

 

I want to spend my life with you.

 

You’re all I’ve ever wanted.

 

You’ll always come first.

 

You’re all that matters to me.

 

Josh could tell she was softly crying and he pulled away only slightly, kissing the tears off of her cheeks. “Hey,” he soothed, “why are you crying?”

 

Donna smiled through her happy tears. “I just- this is all so perfect. And I love you so much.”

 

He rest his forehead against hers. This woman was his entire world. “Dance with me?”

 

He watched her face turn into a genuine smile. She was everything good and right in his world and he couldn’t believe she’d agreed to forever. He wanted to make her smile like that every second of every day and he was going to try his hardest to make that a reality. Reaching over to grab the remote to his stereo he pressed play, letting Bob Marley’s Is This Love fill his apartment and transport them back to the week they met

 

He swayed with her in the flickering candle light until the song began to fade out, her hands gently entwining in his curls. He leaned in and kissed her slowly, taking his time. For once, they had nowhere to be. She took his hand and gave him a little tug down the hallway, Josh following her to his bedroom.

 

OoooooooooO

Josh hovered over Donna and kissed along her collarbone, a content smile on both of their faces, Donna’s flush just beginning to recede.

 

“How ya doin?” he gave her a smirk that she found oddly endearing. She quickly leaned up and gave him a soft kiss, which he returned with passion before rolling onto his side and propping himself up on his elbow, content just to watch her

 

“Where’d you find the stars,” she moved over to rest against him as she looked at the glow in the dark stars he’d stuck the ceiling.

 

“Is it too much? It’s too much, isn’t it? Damn it, I knew it…”

 

Donna giggled. “Josh, calm down. It’s not too much. I kind of like them. I’ve missed our little beach cabana,” she told him honestly.

 

“Oh,” he looked a bit sheepish at his overreaction. “I’m sorry I couldn’t take you back to the resort,” he began.

 

“Josh, stop. I don’t need a fancy trip. All that I need is you.” Her stomach growled softly. “And maybe some dinner.”

 

He laughed softly. “Well, come on. We have reservations on the beach.”

 

Josh pulled his boxers and a tshirt on and Donna slipped into his discarded dress shirt, buttoning it as she pad down the hallway behind him to the dinner he’d set up for them. Josh sat in the chair in front of his meal, but rather than taking the chair opposite him, Donna slid onto his lap.

 

“I want a bite of yours,” she told him, removing the cover from his steak and sneaking a bite of his whipped potatoes. ‘

 

Josh watched in amusement as she helped herself to his dinner. She’d made him so happy that night and he could feel legitimate excitement at the prospect of a lifetime of moments like this. In his eyes, she was just so perfect.

 

“Do you want a bite?” She interrupted his thoughts with a fork of potatoes.

 

“No, go ahead.” His hands rest on her bare legs, his arms holding her softly in place where she sat peched on his lap. He let her eat a few more bites before he put words to the thoughts in his mind.

 

“Donna? Are you sure about this?”

 

She turned slowly to meet his gaze. “About what?” Her voice was soft, almost fearful.

 

“About… this,” he motioned between them. “Are you sure you want to marry me?”

 

Donna’s heart felt a brief pang at his words. Did he doubt her? “Of course I do, Josh. You’re the one- the only one- for me. And you always have been. I’m so in love with you,” she told him cupping his cheek and leaning down for a soft kiss. “Do you doubt that?”

 

He watched her closely. “No,” he told her. “I just don’t know how I can ask you to…” he sighed, scrubbing his face and changing directions with his words. “There’s something coming, Donna. There’s something coming for this administration and its.. big.”

 

Donna slowly nodded her head. “Yes.”

 

Josh’s gaze flicked back to her. What did she know?

 

“I mean, I can tell that something is stirring,” she amended. “I don’t know what it is. But Josh- there’s nothing in this world that could make me love you less. Whatever it is, we have each other now. We’ll weather the storm together… right?”

 

He didn’t know what to say. His greatest fear was putting her at risk. While he knew there was no physical threat, he wanted to avoid at all costs the potential for her to be attacked in the news. The White House would be under intense scrutiny in the coming months and Josh had no shortage of political enemies. He felt like they were waiting in the tall grass for him, ready to attack at the first sign of weakness. And she, Josh could now admit, was his weakness. She’s the only one he’d walk away from it all for. She’s the only one who mattered to him. But they’d portray her unfairly- the press would tear her apart- and he wasn’t sure he could stand by and watch it happen to her. He wanted to give her all of the information- for her to be able to make an informed decision on this- but he just couldn’t tell her yet.

 

“Josh?” She pulled him from his thoughts. “Whatever it is- it’s not going to be anything that will divide us, okay? I’m not going to let that happen. I’m not going to leave,” she reassured him. “You’ll tell me when you’re ready. And until then I don’t want you to worry about all of the what if’s of our personal life. Whatever happens out there is just that- happening outside of the walls of this apartment. When we’re home it’s just you and I. It’s sacred. I’m not going to let politics drive us apart. I’m not going to let anything destroy what we have.”

 

He wondered how he’d gotten so lucky that his soul mate had appeared out of nowhere in a hotel hallway halfway across the world, and again on a dark horse presidential campaign in the moment when he’d needed her most. He took comfort in the fact that she was tuned to him to the extent that she’d already known something was going on- and that maybe, just maybe, she wouldn’t be blindsided. He didn’t want to do that to her.

 

“Enough of that,” she told him, turning in his lap to straddle him. “Work is work and home is home, and I have some fantastic ideas about how to spend the evening with my new fiancé,” she whispered seductively, slowly unbuttoning the oversized shirt she was wearing.

 

Josh grinned and kissed her, snaking his arms around her small waist and picking her up, her legs wrapping around his waist and their lips never parting as he carried her back to the bedroom.

 

OoooooooooO

 

Donna curled up next to Josh, her breathing returning to a normal rhythm. She rolled onto her side and rest her head on Josh's chest, her fingers dancing lightly up and down his bare abdomen. 

 

He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her in tighter, kissing her forehead. Josh watched in amazement as the residual light in the room danced off of the diamond ring he'd put on her finger. 

 

"Engagement looks good on you," he gave her a partial smile.

 

She grinned at him, moving slightly to give him a soft kiss. "Tonight was perfect," she whispered, settling back in to his arms. Donna was sure that this was the definition of bliss. She stared at the ring that now sat comfortably on her left hand. She wasn't concerned with the material- the fact that Josh wanted to spend forever with her was all that truly mattered to her. 

 

Still, she knew the origin of the diamond in the rings setting. It had spent years around her neck. She'd been uncertain about its meaning for a long time and she still couldn't help but wonder. 

 

"Josh?"

 

"Hmmm?" His eyes briefly fluttered closed as the pads of his fingers skimmed across her arm. 

 

"Why'd you give me a diamond?"

 

"Because, Donnatella, when a man knows he wants to spend his life with a woman he traditionally gives her a diamond to propose marriage."

 

She smiled at his predictable response. "I know why you gave me a ring tonight. But the diamond... that necklace was real. You'd hardly known me for a few days when you bought it. Why'd you give it to me?"

 

Josh smiled with his eyes closed, drifting off into a gentle slumber. "Because, Donnatella, when a man knows he wants to spend his life with a woman he traditionally gives her a diamond to propose marriage."


	7. Chapter 7

"Hey." Donna casually wandered into CJs office, closing the door behind her with her foot while holding their breakfast in her arms. 

"Hey, what was so important on the phone?" Donna has called ahead to make sure CJ had a few minutes for her but wouldn't divulge any information over the phone. 

"I brought breakfast," Donna stated, seemingly avoiding her sister's question entirely. 

"Just put it down," CJ motioned to the coffee table and she finished reading an OpEd in The Times.

Donna did as she was asked, but wandered over to CJs desk. "Here's your coffee," she offered with a smile, extending the warm latte to her sister with her left hand, waiting for her to notice the large, glittering diamond that now adorned her ring finger. 

"Thanks-" CJ stopped dead, her eyes widening. "Donna? Is that what I think it is?"

Donna was beaming as she nodded her head. She couldn't help it. She'd never been so happy. 

"He asked you to marry him?!"

"Last night," Donna continued, ignoring her sister’s bewildered stare. Nothing could bring her down. "It was... amazing."

"Wow." CJ just watched her younger sister for a moment. She was, for many reasons, terrified. Donna had the tendency to love with her whole heart and to jump into things with both feet, and CJ had always hated to see her get hurt. Who was this guy? She'd never even met him. She didn't even know his name.

"CJ?" Donna looked a bit dejected at her older sisters non-response to the announcement. 

CJ shook herself out of it. Donna was happy with this guy. And while she'd always be protective of her little sister, she realized now was not the time to have that conversation. Donna was happy so, in this moment, so was CJ. 

"Congratulations," she told her, hopping up to give her a hug before them moving to sit on the couch. "Tell me all about it."

Donna kept a lot of the details private, but she couldn’t help but gush over the previous evening. Everything had been so perfect. Donna painted with broad strokes, as she always did when it came to Josh, but she shared as much as she possibly could, answering CJ’s questions about some of the finer details of the story. 

“So you're telling me you're engaged but you won't tell me his first name?” CJ popped another bite of scone into her mouth, shooting her sister an inquisitive look.

“Right.”

“Really, you're engaged and you still can't tell me who he is?!”

“Not right now, CJ.” Donna shot her sister a pleading look. This was all so complicated.

“Well, tell me, does Josh at least know that you went out with him?”

“Yes.” Donna hoped her nerves weren’t showing at the line of questioning. They were getting very close to a line of questioning Donna would prefer avoid. 

“More than once?”

“Yes.”

“And he didn't sabotage it?” This was all very interesting to CJ. She’d sensed something between Josh and Donna- and she’d wondered if something was brewing between them during Rosslyn. But that January Donna had started to see someone and Josh seemed to be back on his feet as well. They were the incredible team that they always were in the office, but aside from a few moments that the rest of senior staff wrote off as ‘just Josh and Donna being Josh and Donna,’ they seemed to both be keeping work separate from their personal lives.

“No.” Donna remained tightlipped. 

“Does he know you're engaged?!” 

“Yes.”

“And he's okay with it? He didn't blow a gasket?” CJ found that somewhat hard to believe. She thought, at the very least, there would have been some slamming doors when Josh heard the news. 

Donna let out a slight smile. "He knows I'm happy. He just wants me to be happy."

“Well, okay, then, I guess if Mr. Over-Protective himself isn't losing his shit about this, the guy must be okay. If Josh approves, I approve.

Donna raised an eyebrow at that statement.

“What?” CJ continued. “I trust Josh. And there’s hardly anyone in the world who has your best interests at heart more than he does. Seriously though, Donna, I'm glad you're happy too.”

“Thanks,” Donna smiled softly, her gaze flicking back down to her left hand. Her heart was so full. Josh wanted to spend his life with her, and on top of it all, CJ had inadvertently given her blessing.

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment before CJ tried again. “And you’re not even going to give me a first name? A hint?”

Donna laughed, knowing that CJ was only kidding at this point. “Not yet. As soon as I can though, Ceej, you’ll be the first to know.”

“I better be,” she quipped. “I know he’s got to be in politics since you won’t tell me… Have I met him? Will you at least tell me that?”

Donna took a sip of her coffee. “You have.”

“Did I introduce you?!” CJ was almost incredulous at the thought.

Donna laughed. “No, you didn’t introduce us.”

CJ looked at her slyly. “Fine. I'll let this go. But only because I know you're going to have to give him up soon. Very soon, in fact. When the gossip queen of the Midwest gets wind of this she'll be on the next flight out here to fit you in a taffeta dress."

Donna sighed. "Yeah, you're right. I better call Mom." 

XxxxxxxxxxX

Walking back from The Hill mid morning Josh felt himself quickly picking up the pace. It was sure to be one hell of a day. On top of everything he had on his normal schedule he needed to meet with the President and Leo in the residence that evening to go over their planned proceedings for announcing his MS. 

His work life was beyond hectic and all he wanted to do was spend every waking second with his new fiancé. Stopping at a news stand to grab a cup of coffee and a paper, he threw a bridal magazine in with his copy of The Post. He'd slip it to Donna when he returned to the office. There would be a lot of late nights in the near future for him- many, Josh feared, wouldn't include her for a while. 

He walked past her desk, shooting her a wink as she spoke happily with the group of assistants gathered around her desk, oohing and ahhing over her ring. They’d long ago stopped asking questions about Donna’s love life, knowing she wasn’t one to share details and not wanting to strike a nerve with Josh, but their congratulations meant a lot to Donna.

Josh dropped his backpack into the visitor’s chair and rounded his desk, shuffling files around to try and find what he was looking for.

He raised his head, feeling Toby watch him silently from the doorway. 

Toby shifted slightly, adjusting his tie and sticking his hands in his pockets. 

“Need something,” Josh asked, still looking for the notes Donna had typed up for him the prior day.

Toby’s eyes wandered around the room, almost testing the waters. 

“Are you alright?”

“Fine,” Josh responded. Truth be told, he was better than fine. But he needed to find these damn notes. 

“You’re sure?” Toby had heard of Donna’s engagement, offering her a cordial congratulations and immediately becoming concerned for Josh’s emotional state.

Josh looked up from his sorting to meet Toby’s gaze. “I’m sure.”

Toby nodded his head in understanding before walking back to his office. But he wasn’t so sure he believed Josh.

XxxxxxxxX

Donna hadn’t really seen Josh all day. He’d been tied up in one or meeting another. And she needed to see him. She had to find a way to tell him that she was inside now. That she knew about the MS. 

She’d had an unexpected conversation with Toby that morning and she’d immediately jumped into action. If there was anything that she could do to make this easier for everyone involved, she’d do it. She wanted to comfort Josh, to help him relax and to understand what he was thinking. She wanted to be a sounding board for CJ, and she wanted to work as hard as she could so Sam and Toby could focus on what they needed to write in the next few days. 

When she returned to her desk she could hear him in his office, immediately wandering in just to be hear him. “I haven't seen you all morning.” 

“I've been with... you know, tobacco.” God, he hated to lie to her. 

“Josh, the President wants you at a meeting tonight in the Residence around 9:00.”

Josh shifted uncomfortably, wishing there was any other way to do this. This is not how he wanted things to start out between them. “I'll... tell you what that is. That's the Blue Ribbon Commission on Reform. Let me tell you, I'm gonna be collecting benefits or, you know, not by the time we get this Blue Ribbon thing up.”

“Josh.” Donna got his attention, his gaze now focused on her.

“Yeah?” 

Donna smiled somewhat awkwardly and bit her lip, trying to figure out how to tell him she knew. “Um, I'm trying to... See, this is why I'll never have a career as a...”

“Donna, what?” He was oddly endeared by her rambling at the moment, but he was considerably more concerned about what was bothering her. 

“Sagittarius.”

Josh was startled, and somewhat sad that she had to find out from someone besides him. He wanted to know what had happened, but more than that he wanted to make sure she was okay. He opened his mouth to ask her how she was feeling, but instead of offering her a generic offer to talk to him about it, he said what he meant. Josh didn’t bite his tongue or hold back. "Marry me."

She smiled softly. "I said yes last night, Josh. I'm not going to change my mind."

"I mean now. Right now. Marry me." He grabbed his wallet and keys and stood, staring hopefully at her, waiting for an answer. 

Donna blinked twice, processing what he'd just suggested. In this crazy, chaotic world of theirs they'd finally found their way back to each other, but they both sensed the storm building on the horizon. She wasn’t going to lose him. 

She nodded her head. "Yes. Okay."

Josh grinned and kissed her softly, grabbing his coat as she gathered her purse and calling the guard gate to have a cab waiting.


	8. Chapter 8

He slipped his arm around her shoulders and she scooted to the middle of the cab, riding silently with her hand on his knee all the way to the courthouse. They were really doing this. She couldn’t stop smiling. Josh paid the fare when they arrived, grabbing her hand and practically running up the steps.   
   
“We’re right in here,” he told her as he opened the door for her, glad that they wouldn’t have to wait to see the judge. They stepped inside, the outer office empty for the moment.   
   
“You’re sure about this,” he asked her again softly, running his fingers lightly through her hair.  
   
“I’ve never wanted anything more,” she told him honestly, giving him a peck on the lips just as the side door opened. 

"Nice to see you, your Honor." Josh extended his hand and greeted his Dad's old partner formally. He hadn't seen him since his Noah’s funeral and he wasn't sure whether he'd be granted an audience on the basis of his name alone, so he was pleasantly surprised when he was immediately shown into the Judge's chambers.

"Josh! It's been a long time. What can I do for you?"

"Well, it's kind of a long story and I can't go into details right now. But this beautiful woman is Donnatella Moss, and we’d very much like to get married today. And I'd like to keep it out of the news."

Judge Braun raised an eyebrow at Josh. "Is your Mother here?"

"Ah, no." Josh looked a little sheepish. "But we could get her on a conference call. She'll be thrilled."

"Okay, feel free to use my phone. Dial 8 to get out. Let me get my clerk to print a marriage license. I'll have it filed when we are done."  
   
Josh dialed the familiar number with one hand and held onto Donna with another. “Is this okay,” he asked while he was waiting for his mother to pick up. “That she’s on the line?”   
   
Donna nodded eagerly. “Absolutely.” She had to admit, she was somehow comforted by the thought that there would be at least one person they both loved listening to them exchange vows.   
   
"Mom? It's me." Josh was relieved when his mother answered the call. He would have hated for her to miss this.

"Joshua? Are you alright?"  
   
“Of course.”  
   
"Don't 'of course' me, Joshua Lyman. It's 2:30 on a Thursday. You must have a specific reason for calling. You're not exactly one to call in the middle of the day just to chat."

Josh continued, ignoring the accurate jab about his infrequent phone calls. 

"Okay, you are right. I have a reason for calling. You remember Dad's old partner, David Braun? He's a judge. I'm in his office with Donna, Mom."

"Oh?" Her voice took a high pitch, curious but somehow all knowing. 

"He's about to marry us." Josh kissed Donna's cheek. 

Ava Lyman smiled on the other side of the phone. "Congratulations, son. I'm glad you finally figured out what I've known for a while. She makes you happy. Your father would be so pleased that Donna really is going to be Mrs. Lyman."

Josh pulled Donna closer and smiled. “Thanks, Mom.”

"Mazel tov, my darlings. You two were made for each other." Ava spouted happily from the other end of the phone. "Well, Thanks for taking care of this Greg! I'll just listen quietly, so you can get on with it. And Donna, dear? Call me tomorrow and we can catch up on all the fun things without Joshua on the line."  
   
“It’s certainly my pleasure, Ava,” Judge Braun responded warmly, turning his attention back to the couple. “l’ve got two versions of vows here. I like to call them modern and traditional.”  
   
"We'll take modern, I'm not promising to obey him!" Donna shot him a little smirk.   
   
“You go, girl!" Ava's voice came over the speaker.

"Ma!" Josh shook his head. These two women, he thought. He couldn’t love either of them more if he tried.

Judge Braun chuckled at the exchange between the two women. "Oh, Donna, neither has obey in them. The difference is between using 'you' or 'thee.'"

"Oh, then what the heck, let's go with traditional. Something about this wedding should be conventional," Donna stated, Josh nodding his head in agreement.   
   
“Alright. Now that we have that settled, shall we begin?” Judge Braun looked between the two for their consent.  
   
Josh and Donna both nodded their heads, taking each other’s hands and listening intently to the judge. Josh’s thumb lightly stroked the stop of Donna’s hand. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. The whole thing was like a dream.  
   
They listened intently as the judge spoke, repeating their portions at the appropriate times.  
   
"I, Donnatella Moss, take thee, Joshua Lyman, to be my lawfully wedded husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad times, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life."  
   
"I, Joshua Lyman, take thee, Donnatella Moss, to be my lawfully wedded wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad times, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life."  
   
“By the act of joining hands you take to yourself the relation of husband and wife and solemnly promise to love, honor, comfort, and cherish each other so long as you both shall live.  Therefore, in accordance with the law of the District of Columbia and by virtue of the authority vested in me, I do pronounce you husband and wife.  
   
You came to me as two single people and you will now leave as a married couple, united to each other by the binding contract you have just entered.  Your cares, your worries, your pleasures and your joys, you must share with each other.  The best of good fortune to both of you.”     
   
Josh, you may now kiss your bride.”  
   
And, boy, did he ever.  
   
XxxxxxxxxX  
   
Josh placed his hand on the small of Donna's back and led her down the steps of the courthouse, sliding his sunglasses over his eyes. He was beaming, not a familiar look for the deputy chief of staff, but he didn't care who saw him. Donna was his wife now and for just a few moments the whole world seemed his for the taking.   
   
"Where do you want to go to lunch? Marcellos?" Josh wanted to celebrate. He wanted to wine her and dine her and give her everything she'd ever dreamed about.   
   
Donna's lips quirked up in the corners at his suggestion. But truth be told, anywhere Josh was sounded just fine to her. Not to mention he had a meeting with the majority leader in 40 minutes.   
   
"Hey, guys!"   
   
They'd been so wrapped up in each other that they'd practically bumped into Sam. They looked at each other with a moment of panic. This secret didn't last long.  
   
"What were you guys doing here?" Sam asked, gesturing to the courthouse with his hot dog. Really? They got caught due to Sam's love for hot dogs from a cart?  
   
"We eloped." Josh stated flatly. Donna smacked him in the arm.   
   
"Owww." He whined  
   
"Very funny, Josh." Sam stated, shooting Donna a sympathetic look. "You're lucky she's so nice. If it had been CJ she'd have punched you!"  
   
"Yeah, I guess." Josh gave Sam an odd look.   
   
"Come on guys, I've got to get back to work. My boss is a really slave driver." Donna said, shooting Josh a grin. She could have kissed him and his brilliant political mind on the spot. They hadn't lied to Sam but he still didn't know the truth.  
   
"Don't you guys want a hot dog?" Sam pulled out his wallet as he offered, smiling brightly. Donna paused for a second to consider, but they did need to eat.   
   
"Two, please," she told the vendor. "One with the works and one with ketchup only."  
   
She handed Josh his bland hot dog and they followed Sam towards a bench, sliding in next to one another. They sat in relative silence, none of them willing to talk about much of anything in a public forum. Sam finished his lunch first, tossing his foil wrapped into a nearby bin and hailing a cab for the three of them.   
   
Sam motioned for the cab, turning his attention to Josh as it slowed to a stop. "So, what do you think? Pretty good hot dog, huh?"  
   
Josh smiled, flicking his gaze away from Sam to focus on Donna. "I'll be honest," he stated with sincerity, "that was hands down the best lunch break of my life."  
   
OoooooooO  
   
“Donna?” Josh beckoned her into his office as he strolled by. He’d ‘needed to see her’ as much as possible since they’d returned from the courthouse.   
   
He closed the door behind them and kissed her deeply, holding her body close to his. He still couldn’t believe this was all real. He was over the moon. Eventually he pulled away, kissing her nose and eyelids with feather light touches. "I hate to ask you to do this, because it completely destroys the romance factor, but I don't want to ask anyone else since we are keeping this a secret for a bit, but I'd really like to do this right if at all possible..."

"Just spit it out Josh, what do you need me to do? I may be…" her voice dropped to a low whisper, "your wife," her smile grew even bigger as she said the words, "now, but I'm still your assistant, too."

"Can you pick up some cake and champagne? I want to celebrate tonight."  
   
Her grin multiplied at his sweet request, her eyes fluttering a bit as she relaxed to the feeling of his thumb gently stroking her back as he held her. “I’d like that,” she told him softly, kissing his cheek. She was glad he’d suggested it. Not only would it make their wedding day even more memorable, but now she’d have some time to swing by and pick up something special to wear that night.   
   
OoooooooO  
   
Josh fished for his keys in his pocket, saying a silent thank you to whatever strange higher power possessed Leo to give them a few hours off that evening. He’d told senior staff to break for dinner and be back for a meeting in the residence around 9. A few hours with Donna when they were exhausted and hungry wasn’t exactly 10 days in Paris, but it was their wedding day and he’d take what he could get.  
   
Unlocking the door Josh turned to her and picked her up, cradling her in his arms as she let out a small yelp. “Josh! What are you doing?”  
   
“Carrying my bride across the threshold, of course,” he told her, stepping into their apartment and giving her a sound kiss before he put her down.   
   
“I’m going to go change into something more comfortable,” she told him softly. “I’ll be right back.”  
   
“Okay,” he told her, hating to let go of her hand and watching her walk down the hall as he jumped into action, grabbing the chilled champagne and the tiniest white cake the bakery had from the fridge. Their union may have been somewhat unconventional, but it was their wedding night and he wanted to make sure she could enjoy some of the more basic traditions. He quickly lit a few candles, turned on some soft music and dimmed the lights in the apartment, removing his jacket and tie just as he heard her wander down the hallway.  
   
Josh turned to greet her and his jaw dropped, seeing her clad in a white silk negligee, her hair softly framing her face. “You look amazing,” he practically gushed.   
   
She closed the distance between them, snaking her arms around his waist and giving him a soft kiss. She gently pulled away after a few moments, looking around the room. “What do we have here,” she asked, taking in the candles and the table.  
   
“Well it is our wedding night,” he stated, handing her a glass of champagne, "So here's to a lifetime of happiness," he told her as they clinked glasses. "I can't wait to spend eternity with you."  
   
She took a sip as he moved them towards the table, picking up a fork and feeding her a small bite of their wedding cake, as they’d seen done so many times in the movies. He kissed her softly, content to just stand there and hold her for a while.   
   
He swayed to the soft music, drinking in her presence. "So," he whispered, "I definitely like your definition of something more comfortable." Josh carefully touched the delicate straps on her cream negligee, allowing his fingers to find their way to her shoulders and down the exposed skin on her back. "Feel free to change into something comfortable as soon as we get home everyday."  
   
"Yeah? I mean, I know it's too early for bed but since you have to be back there at 9pm and who knows how long the meeting will last, I thought we could you, know, ah..." 

"Consummate our marriage? Brilliant idea! I knew you were the smart one," he kissed her cheek and laughed somewhat awkwardly. "So, um, shall we go to the bedroom then?"

"Shall we? What's the matter? You nervous?"

"No. No, no. Not at all, nothing to be nervous about."

"Well that's totally believable..."

"I mean, I know you're not a virgin. It's not even the first time we've made love. God, this sounds ridiculous... Tonight just seems, I don't know, more important or something. You mean everything to me. I just don't want to screw this up."  
   
Donna cupped his cheek with her palm. “Josh, are you having second thoughts about the quick wedding?"

"No!” Josh was quick to erase that fear in Donna’s mind. “I've never been more sure about anything in my life. No matter what else happens I want you to know that I'm 100% completely committed to you. Everything else is secondary. I love you more than words could ever describe. Are- Are you? Having doubts, that is."

"No. I'm not. I love you more than words can describe, too, Joshua. Let me show you." Donna slipped the straps of the negligee off of her shoulders and let it drop to the floor. Then she captured Josh's mouth in a kiss that left neither of them with any nervousness.  
   
OooooooooO


	9. Chapter 9

Josh stirred slightly in his sleep, wrapping his arms a little tighter around Donna's sleeping form. He kissed along her shoulder until she slowly woke, smiling with her eyes closed. 

"Hi," she smiled at him, rolling onto her back as Josh propped himself up on his elbow. 

He leaned in and kissed her good morning, almost overwhelmed by the thought that she'd really married him the day before. 

What he'd intended to be an innocent kiss sparked something inside Donna, and Josh didn't object when she deepened the kiss, pulling him closer. 

Twenty minutes later they were both smiling again. 

"Do I smell coffee?" Josh furrowed his brow. 

"You do," Donna assured him. "I set the timer on the machine last night."

"I thought you didn't bring me coffee," Josh quipped. 

"Your assistant doesn't bring you coffee, Josh," she told him, emphasizing the word assistant. "And, okay, your wife really doesn't either," she admitted. "But she does brew it for you to pour for yourself. And maybe a mug for her, too." Donna pecked him on the cheek and batted her eyes a bit at him. 

Josh just laughed. He was putty in her hands and he knew it. "Well when you put it that way it's hard to argue," he told her, sliding out from under the blanket. Donna followed suit, opening the top drawer of his dressed and pulling on a pair of his boxers and an oversized sweatshirt before padding down the hallway behind him. 

Josh hurried to pour two cups of coffee, placing the warm mugs down as Donna came up behind him, placing two forks on the table and taking a spot on Josh's lap. His arm circled her waist as he sipped his coffee, Donna warming her hands on the mug for a moment and just reveling in his proximity to her. 

After a moment she pulled the mostly uneaten wedding cake from the night before closer to them and picked up a fork. "We won't be eating cake for breakfast every day," she told him, maneuvering her fork for the optimal ratio of cake to icing, "but it's a special occasion so we might as well live it up."

Josh laughed. "Cheers," he told her, raising his mug slightly and kissing her again. He just couldn't get enough of her. 

They'd barely made it through the first cup of coffee when Josh's pager sounded. Donna remained where she was on his lap and reached across the table to retrieve the device that had been laying right where it landed the previous evening. 

"It's Leo," she announced. "He wants to see you in 45 minutes."

Josh sighed. "Back to reality."

"We had a good run," she quipped. "Let's go."

"Oh, no," Josh interrupted. "I'm going in. I'll take a cab and see you after senior staff. You can bring the car," nodded towards the keys. 

"I'm not going with you?" She always went with him. 

"Nope," he declared. "If it was a national emergency he would have used a passphrase. And you, Mrs. Lyman, have an important phone call to make. I seem to remember you promising my mother some additional information?"

"Ah, yes. Well, I'd hate to get off on the wrong foot with my in laws." Donna smirked as she took another sip of her coffee. 

Josh rolled his eyes. "Donnatella, if she had to choose between the two of us, most days she'd pick you. I would, too," he admitted, kissing her cheek. "But give her a call so I don't get blamed for anything," he told her, heading back to the bedroom to get dressed. "I'll see you after senior staff."

OoooooO

As pleasant as their first morning as newlyweds has started our, Josh and Donna were met with heartbreak as soon as they'd arrived to the office. 

She was holding onto him as soon as the words came out of his mouth. Donna had always loved Mrs. Landingham and looked up to her, but there was a special bond between the two women that had formed on that late August night the year prior. 

He wrapped his arms around her and held her silently as she cried into his shirt. Josh wasn't sure how long they stood there, but he knew he'd be there as long as she needed him. He'd kissed the top of her head and lightly stroked her hair as he whispered reassurances to her, knowing that his words couldn't erase the pain they were all feeling that morning. 

He heard a soft knock on the side door, speaking a careful 'come in,' but not bothering to detach himself from Donna before CJ entered. 

The press secretary paused in the doorway, her own eyes puffy from tears. Given the morning that they'd all had, CJ wasn't phased by the scene in front of her. 

Josh glanced over to an upset CJ, opening his free arm to his sister in law and pulling her into an embrace. After a few moments all three composed themselves a bit, CJ settling into Josh's visitors chair as Donna perched next to Josh in the front of his desk. 

"Now what?" CJ eventually asked. 

Josh took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "We keep going," he told her. "As much as this changes everything for us, it really changes nothing. There's still a country to be run. We'll meet in the basement again tonight and figure out where to go from here. But until then, you know the drill. Business as usual." CJ nodded somberly and rose, exiting the office and closing the door behind her. 

Donna moved to return to her desk, but Josh stopped her, kissing her deeply. His hands cupped her cheeks, eventually finding their way to her hair. Life was, as they all knew better than most, fleeting. 

And though everything in his universe seemed oddly fluid at that moment, he knew one thing. He'd never regret making Donna his wife. 

OooooooO

To say that Senior Staff was exhausted would be the understatement of the year. They'd all suffered a loss in Mrs. Landingham, and adding to their already intense workload was the late night strategy sessions in the basement. They'd all been told to go home- and stay there- the previous night, so they had some major catching up to do. 

Josh was leading the charge that particular night, but with Sam and Toby working on a statement and CJ deep in hushed conversation with Leo, Donna saw the opportunity for an hour or two of sleep. 

"It's almost 4 in the morning," she whispered. "You should go lay down in the room next door," she almost pleaded with him. 

"I don't have time," he muttered, not looking over from the legal pad he'd been using to jot notes on for the past hours. "You should go though. Lay down," he glanced up at her, nothing but tender adoration in his eyes. 

"You're not going to get anything done if you can't think properly because you're exhausted." She protested. 

And though he didn't necessarily agree with her premise, he wanted nothing more than to lay down next to his new wife and just hold her while she slept, so he agreed. 

Josh stood, closing his portfolio and advising the group that they'd be next door getting a quick nap and that the next pair could sleep when they were back and the couches were free. 

They were met with no opposition as they wandered in the next room, Josh immediately tugging at his tie, his suit jacket long ago discarded. He fumbled with the lock and made his way to the couch, collapsing with a sigh as Donna pulled out two large duffels from the corner. 

"Here." She handed him some sweats to sleep in and grabbed two pillows. "Your toiletries and underwear are in your duffel so you can take a shower in the locker room. There's a fresh suit in the garment bag in your office."

He smiled softly. "You really thought of everything."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm tuned to you."

Josh slipped into the comfortable clothes he'd packed while Donna did the same. He perched on the edge of the couch and opened his arms to her, not having to say anything before she wandered over to him and he wrapped her up, resting his face on her stomach and closing his eyes, finally relaxing for the first time since that morning. Her hands found his hair and her gentle movements practically lulled him to sleep on the spot. 

Eventually he summoned the strength o pull away from her, kissing her ever so softly, and making up the couch. 

"Umm... Josh?"

His actions paused as he turned to face his wife, standing uncomfortably in the middle of the room. 

"Maybe," she bit her hip and shifted her weight, "maybe we should sleep separately."

He stood up and turned to face her, shaking his head. "No. We have nothing to hide. We have nothing to be ashamed of, Donna. It's our second night of marriage. I'm going to lay down and hold my wife." He kissed her forehead and gently grabbed her hand, clicking out the light and settling in to their makeshift bed, their bodies molding perfectly together in the close quarters. 

Josh felt at peace, holding her close and stroking her hair as he eyelids became heavier and heavier. It was only a few minutes before they were both on the brink of sleep. 

"OH MY GOD!"

In their exhausted state neither of them heard the door opening before they were started awake by Sam's voice. Josh was on his feet immediately, staring at his best friend as the bright light coursed into the room once again. 

"Sam..." Josh was pleading with his eyes. 

Donna was up only an instant behind him, whisper yelling to Josh. "I thought you said you locked the door!" 

"I thought I did," he admitted with a gulp. His confidence from only a few minutes prior seemed to have disappeared. 

"What's going on over there," CJ yelled from the next room. 

Josh found Donna's hand, giving her a small squeeze for reassurance, as they waited for Sam's response. Sam's eyes never left the couple. 

"Uhh, nothing," he shouted in return. "There's only two couches and three of us."

"So tell them to bunk up, Sparky." CJ's shout was still far away, clear evidence that she hadn't even moved from her chair in the commotion. 

Sam stepped inside and closed the door behind him, moving slowly towards the center of the room. "Oh my God," he stayed at a more reasonable volume this time. "You weren't kidding. You really married her yesterday, didn't you."

Josh looked over at Donna, his hand moving from clasping hers to circling her shoulders and pulling her close as he lightly kissed her temple, causing Donna to beam. "Yeah. I really did."

Sam blinked a few times, trying to comprehend what he heard and suddenly smiled wider than Josh had seen in years. "Congratulations," he gushed, closing the distance between his friends and hugging them sincerely. "This is excellent news."

"Thanks, Sam," Donna told him as they sat back down on the couch. 

"Do you guys want some privacy?" Sam suddenly questioned his own presence in the room. 

"No," Josh told him casually. They may be newlyweds but they certainly weren't going to be looking for trouble in the White House basement. "And we can all use some sleep. You should get some too, Sam."

Sam nodded his head in agreement, unbuttoning the cuffs of his shirt and untucking his undershirt in a vain attempt to get comfortable in half a suit. 

"Good call on the sleepwear and change of clothes," Sam gestured towards Josh. 

"Yeah. My wife packed a bag for me," he grinned. 

Sam returned the smile. "So when did this all start?"

Donna rest her head on Josh's shoulder. "It's a long story, and one we'd be glad to explain to you... but perhaps that's a conversation for breakfast? You two need some sleep or we're going to be in one hell of a mess."

Sam and Josh let out a collective sigh. She was right. They both needed to be on top of their game the next day. One ordeal at a time. 

Josh flipped the light out again, hearing Sam snoring almost immediately as he climbed back onto the couch with Donna, kissing her goodnight once again. 

That, he thought, went pretty well. If Sam was okay with it then maybe this wouldn't be a sticking point for anyone else. 

Only time would tell.


	10. Chapter 10

Donna wordlessly sat down next to Ginger, Josh several rows in front of her with the other pallbearers. She wanted desperately to be at his side but it was just one more in a long string of obstacles to their secret marriage. 

The service, they all agreed, was beautiful. It paid tribute to a woman who had touched so many of them. But the cloud of sadness hung over them for the rest of the day. 

Donna peeked her head into Josh's office several hours later and her mood didn't improve when she saw the look on his face. His face was buried in a memo but she could tell his mid was elsewhere. Concerned. They'd been waiting all day for an answer from the President. The fate of all of their futures was in his hands. 

"I brought you something to eat before we leave," she offered, placing a sandwich on his desk before hopping up to perch on the corner. "Toby wants us all in his office in five minutes."

"I'm not hungry," he told her with a sigh. There was too much on his mind. "You should eat though."

She crossed her long legs and cocked her head to the side to watch him. "You've done everything right, Josh. And you've prepared him the best that you know how."

Josh slipped his fingers over to intertwine with hers as Donna spoke. 

"You have every reason to hold your head high and stand behind him tonight. It's out of your hands now, and I know that's hard for you but-"

Her words paused as he lifted their hands and kissed her palm. "But he's not the only reason I get up in the morning, Donna," he cut her off. "The sun rises and sets around you," he stood running his hands through her hair. "So no matter what comes of this, or what happens to my career as a result of it, I'll be a better man because I came through it with you." He kissed her forehead. "This evening is about to get crazy," he tilted her chin up so he could see her. "So if I don't see you for a few hours, or if i can't stand physically by your side during this, please remember how much I love you."

She smiled genuinely at her husband. "Always." She allowed herself to give him a peck on the lips as she hopped up so they could go meet their fate. "And I love you, too."

OoooooooO

President Bartlet stepped to the podium, the air in the room thick with tension, the press corps calling to him as a thousand flash bulbs went off in rapid, erratic succession. 

All eyes were on the President but Donna was watching Josh. He'd worked so hard and sacrificed so much to put this man in office. He'd weathered storm after storm for the administration. 

Donna knew that Josh still had a lot that he'd hoped to accomplish. And he still had a lot of fight left in him. She studied his face, watching closely him for any signs of disappointment. But Josh was walled off to the world, stoic gaze locked on their leader. 

She'd indulged herself for the last few hours, ever since they'd been told the President wouldn't be running again. She'd found herself daydreaming of a normal life. 9 to 5 jobs, a marriage she could discuss, meals together, holidays with her family, maybe even a couple of kids and a dog. Though she chastised herself for being selfish, she was just beginning to wonder if the end of the administration could be the start of their life. 

And that's when everything changed again. President Bartlet was going to run again. Donna immediately felt the energy shift in the room, the chaos from the press corps, the million questions, and the look on Josh's face as his gaze met hers. It would be a fight, but they were ready and they were all in it together. 

OoooooooO

"Donna!!" Josh yelled for her as he rounded the corner into his office. His adrenaline was pumping. President Bartlet was going to run again and Josh was ready for the fight. 

"Donna!" He bellowed again, his wife appearing in the doorway. 

"I'm pumped. I'm so monumentally pumped," she admitted. 

Josh needed to be doing 150 things at that exact moment but instead he pushed his office door closed and just kissed her instead. What he'd intended to be soft and celebratory came out rough and eager. 

He pulled away a bit, his gaze flicking to meet hers for a moment. Something clicked between them and Josh had to have her. He kissed her roughly, moving to press her against the door to his office as her leg slid up the back of his towards his waist and her hands found their way to his hair, tugging gently. Josh's hands began to slide up her legs, pushing her dress out of the way as his fingers delicately traced along the lace tops of her thigh highs. 

"Donna?" He choked out, "are you wearing garters?" 

"Mhmmm," she confirmed, wishing to resume their current activity. 

Josh groaned, his hands steadying her hips on the outside of her dress as his lips grazed along her collarbone and up the size of her neck. His breathing was increasingly heavily as he became more and more engrossed in thr moment. "You're killing me here, Donnatella."

"WHERE IN THE HELL IS MY DEPUTY?!" Leo's voice boomed through the closed door from the bullpen, breaking the moment. Josh stepped slightly away from her and tried to shake it off and get himself back into the political mindset it was going to take to make it though everything he needed to accomplish that night. 

"You and I will be out of here absolutely as soon as possible," he stated low and forcefully, his gaze trailing slowly up and down the her body, his mind taking in the details every curve as if he couldn't pull himself away from her. Both of them knew it was unlikely they'd see their apartment before the next evening. 

She slipped her fingers barely into the top of his pants, pulling him back to her with a swift little yank around his belt buckle, and leaned in and quickly gave his ear lobe a little nibble before whispering a sultry, "go get 'em, Bulldog," and slapping him playfully on the ass as he opened the door to meet Leo. 

He glanced back at her and shook his head with a smile. What would he do without this woman?


	11. Chapter 11

Donna turned off the faucet in the shower, trying not to knock over any of the precariously balanced bottles off of their perch as she reached out the door and grabbed the towel off of the hook. Unfolding it, she pat her face dry and pulled it way, shaking her head as she could see through the hole in the large towel. Wrapping it snugly around her body, Donna stepped out and padded through the bathroom and into the bedroom where he was still sprawled out, flipping through a copy of The Post in his boxers. 

"How long have you had these towels," she asked playfully. 

"Don't know," Josh turned the page on the article he was reading. "Since I moved into the dorms for undergrad, I guess."

Donna giggled at his answer. "You've had the same bath towels for... seventeen years?"

"They still work," he muttered as his gaze moved to find hers. 

"Are you sure about that?" She turned to show him the large hole in the back of towel, her cheek playfully peeking through. 

"God, yes, I'm sure." He tossed his paper down and gave her towel a playful tug. "Let's be late today, Mrs. Lyman."

She smirked as she moved to straddle him. "No protest from me."

OoooooooO  
"You at a stopping place?" Josh leaned his hip against Donna's desk, watching her work. 

"I suppose," she bit her lip, surveying the pile of paperwork in front of her. "Why?"

"Cause we're leaving," he told her, bouncing a bit on the balls of his feet. 

"We... are?" It was 5:15 on Friday so to say that Donna was surprised that he was ready to leave was an understatement. 

Josh nodded his head. He'd told Leo they had a few things to take care of and they'd be out of the office and the Chief of Staff had waived them off without question. "Come on. Let's get out of here before something comes up." Josh was practically gathering her purse. 

She stilled his hands, catching his eyes and speaking to him in a volume she was sure couldn't be heard anywhere else in the office. "Go get your backpack. I'll meet you at home."

"It's okay. We're leaving together. I told Leo we'd be out the rest of the evening."

She grinned earnestly at him, gathering her belongings as he threw on his coat. They walked silently to his car, depositing their bags into his trunk and sliding into the front seats in Josh's car. 

"Where are we doing?"

Josh grinned. "Just grabbing dinner and running some errands. You know... husband and wife stuff."

Donna couldn't help but smile, too. She slid a bit closer to him, her hand resting comfortably on his though as they drove. 

"Where are you taking us?" Donna furrowed her brow as Josh changed lanes, heading out of the city. 

"To dinner. And then shopping."

"Shopping?!" Donna could hardly believe her ears. 

Josh shrugged his shoulders a bit and took her hand, brining it to his lips to lightly kiss her palm before he intertwined their fingers. "You pointed out a few days ago that we need new towels," he told her. "And that got me thinking that, well, this is OUR home now. And I want you to feel like it's yours too. I know you didn't get to do the whole traditional registry thing so I thought maybe we could pick some things out together tonight."

Donna melted. "That's so sweet," she leaned over and kissed his cheek. "But I really don't need anything but you to make me happy. I don't regret for a moment the way we did things, Josh."

"I know," he assured her. "But still. I want to have an evening with my wife doing normal, domestic errands that normal married couples do."

She smiled softly. "I'd like that, too."

OoooooO

They stood in the middle of Pottery Barn, Donna tentatively biting her lip. "I don't know," she said hesitantly. "Maybe we should look somewhere else."

"What? Why? I thought you said it was perfect."

"Well..." she shifted her weight to her other foot. "It's just... more than I'd like to spend."

"Ah." He realized, at that moment, they may need to have a conversation about shared finances. 

"I mean, I know your back hurts..."

He raised his eyebrows at her as she continued to ramble. 

"I can see it when you wake up, Josh. And the PT told us that there would be some residual pain in your left side so I'd rather buy a new mattress. It's more important to me that you get a good night's sleep than to have a new bedroom set."

"Donna, it's okay. I don't want you to worry about money. It's, uh, not an issue for us." Inside of a busy Pottery Barn wasn't exactly where he wanted to do this, but he wasn't going to skirt the topic. 

"What do you mean?" She wasn't quite following what he was saying. 

"What's mine is yours," he stated simply. "There is no separation."

She smiled gently. "That's sweet, Josh. And I know you make... well, considerably more than I do, but I still don't think we should spend this much without thinking it through a little more."

He took her hand and pulled her to a seated position on the display sofa. "Listen, we can get into the details later at home if you'd like but Donna, I don't want you to worry about finances anymore, okay? There's, ah, plenty of money. My mother has a sizable estate in her own name but I have trusts that I've never touched and while I'd obviously prefer we didn't drain them, I've been saving them the future and, well, this is the future. We're married and furnishing our home together. I want you to pick out what you like, regardless of cost."

She stared at him closely. "You're very sweet. But this isn't necessary, Josh. I didn't marry you for the money," she kissed his cheek. 

"I know," he responded quietly. I just thought you should know."

She nodded a silent affirmation.

"So there's a couple of trusts, and the life insurance policy and my mother's estate and the, uh, the condo."

Donna turned to look at him, slightly taken aback by where this was going. "Did you say trusts with an s? Josh what kind of money are you talking about?"

"Uh, several million I guess." He was quite casual about the whole thing. 

"Oh...Kay." Donna had no idea. "And the condo? You own the condo?"

"We."

"Hmm?" 

"WE own the condo. The building, actually."

Her eyes widened. She truly didn't care about the money, she was just surprised. 

"And I'm sorry we haven't talked about this before," he told her, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I need to call on Monday and have you added to my accounts, but you're the beneficiary to the trusts."

"I... am? Since when?"

He looked at the floor. "I had the paperwork changed into your name last fall." He cleared his throat. "After the thing."

She moved to rest her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. She didn't even want to think about Rosslyn tonight. 

He kissed the top of her head and wrapped his arm around her, not caring that they were in a public area. "It's okay," he told her in a whisper. "Everything turned out okay, didn't it?"

She could hardly believe he was the one comforting her on this topic. "It did," she replied in a soft voice. "Better than okay."

They sat in silence for a few moments before Josh spoke again, concerned he'd overwhelmed her with his sudden revelations. "So, What are you thinking," he inquired honestly. 

She thought about it for a few moments before responding. "Josh?"

"Hmmm?"

"We're getting new sheets, too."

OooooooO

"Bite?" He extended his churro to her and she took a small nibble off of it as they walked. 

"What's in the bag?"

"Something for later."

"Later?" He looked slightly confused. 

"Mhmmm," she smiled slyly at him. "When we get home tonight and we're doing something else that couples do."

Josh's eyes grew to the size of saucers and he grabbed her hand. "Come on. We're outta here!"

Donna chuckled, holding her ground. "Josh, we aren't leaving. We came out here to find things for our home and we aren't leaving without new towels!"

"Hmmph," he muttered a complaint. 

"Josh, just imagine how happy I'm going to be getting out of the shower, all wet and glistening, wrapping myself in a brand new, very fluffy, oversized bath towel. Then imagine how happy you're going to be taking that towel off of me."

"It worked just fine with the old towels this morning."

"But new towels would make me happy. And you know what they say, Happy Wife..."

"Happy Life," Josh finished.

"Well I was going to say Happy Wife, more likely to get laid... but yours rhymes."

Josh threw his head back and laughed genuinely. It was nice to be able to be a normal, happy couple.


	12. Chapter 12

Josh climbed the stairs to their condo the next day, yanking on his tie and fumbling for his keys. Donna had left earlier in the day to run a few errands in anticipation of the arrival of their new furniture that evening and Josh and Toby had ended up stuck in the Oval for hours... and on a Saturday afternoon to boot. He was tired, he was cranky and he just wanted to see her smiling face. 

Letting himself in the front door he immediately heard his Rolling Stones CD at a fairly loud volume in their bedroom. Josh tossed his keys down and grabbed a beer, popping the top off before toeing his shoes off on the way to meet her. He leaned in the doorframe, content to watch her, and certain that this was what happiness felt like. 

Donna stood barefoot, perched on a step stool painting their bedroom a warm gray color. She was clad in only an oversized tshirt she'd swiped from him, the hem riding up to expose the soft purple of her lace cheekies. She sang along, loud and off key, to the music, bobbing and dancing a bit as she brushed away a strand of hair that had fallen from her messy pony tail and dipped her brush back into the paint. 

Josh stood there silently, thinking about all of the times he'd previously rolled his eyes at the thought of the phrase 'domestic bliss.' He was certain that's what this was, and he couldn't be happier. 

As the song changed and The Stones cover of Ain't Too Proud To Beg began to play, he sat the beer down on the drop cloth covered floor, catching Donna's attention. She shot him a grin over her shoulder as Josh belted the lyrics. He was still always shocked at the way she could change his mood almost instantly. 

He moved slowly towards her, rolling the sleeves of his dress shirt up with a particular level of care and singing along in a flawless baritone she's only previously heard on a rare number of occasions. 

As he reached her he ran his hands up and down her long, bare legs, softly kissing the back of both of her knees before his hands continued their journey upward. Eventually he turned her around, taking the painting supplies out of her hands and setting them aside. 

He gave her a wicked smirk and picked her up, carefully laying her on the floor of the empty room. 

She had his undivided attention.

OooooooO

Josh had just pulled a pair of old jeans on when the doorbell rang. "Good timing," he kissed her quickly as Donna pulled on a tshirt over her yoga pants. 

Josh wandered to the front room, throwing open the door and expecting to see the furniture delivery. "Sam?" He was puzzled to find his best friend at his threshold, carrying a neatly wrapped box. 

"Hey, Buddy! Hope I didn't stop by at a bad time." Sam remained where he was, smiling in the doorway. 

"Uhhh..." Josh just stood there for a moment. 

"Sam!" Donna was beaming at the unexpected sight of their friend before shooting a look at her husband. "Joshua! Invite him in!"

Josh stepped out of the way as Donna greeted Sam with a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh!" Sam held up the box, extending it to Donna. "I wanted to drop by and give you this. It's your wedding gift."

Donna's eyes welled up at the sweet gesture, carefully opening the sturdy box to find a pair of sterling candlesticks. "Oh, Sam. You shouldn't have."

Sam blushed. "I wanted to."

Josh slipped in behind Donna who was still swooning over the fact that they'd received their first official wedding gift and kissed the top of her head. "Very nice," he remarked, extending his hand for a handshake that became a masculine hug. "Thanks, man. Want a beer?"

Sam glanced around, trying to determine what he was interrupting in the chaotic state of Josh's apartment. "Oh, I, uh..."

"Were expecting a furniture delivery any minute," Donna filled in the blanks for their guest. "Oh!" Her eyes lit up. "Sam! You're our first guest! Oh, you have to stay for dinner!"

"Well in that case... This will be a lovely evening." Sam grinned, taking a bottle from his friend who chuckled.

"That's what you think. She just sweet talked you in to a night of pizza and heavy lifting."

And that was, in fact, exactly how the night proceeded. 

After the furniture had been unloaded Donna ordered a pizza and joined the guys on the floor as Josh and Sam looked over the assembly information for their new bedroom set. 

"It was included, Josh," Donna whined for the fifth time. "The assembly was included with delivery."

"I can assemble our furniture, Donnatella. I don't need to pay anyone."

Donna just rolled her eyes and leaned against the dresser. Josh and Sam were having a manly evening, and even if it was mildly pathetic she was having fun watching. 

"So," Sam ventured into unknown conversational territory as he hoisted one side of the new headboard up, "when did you guys start, uh, seeing each other?"

Josh huffed a bit, surprised at the weight of the solid wood bed. "Fall," he stated maneuvering a bit more as he grunted, "of '97."

"Ninety seven?!" Sam yelped at the realization that they'd known each other before the campaign, coming closing to losing his grip. 

"Yeah," Josh aligned the headboard and slid it into the tongue and groove of the platform. 

Sam was quiet for a moment, stepping back to take a drink of his beer as Josh tightened the screws on the frame. The more he thought about it, the more sense it made to him. The instant connection on the campaign, their shared glances and late nights in the office. The look on Donna's face when she melted down in Josh's ICU room last summer. Yes, he decided, that actually made quite a lot of sense. He did, however, have a million additional questions. 

Josh stood up and admired his handiwork. "Grab the other side of that mattress," he nodded to the delivery in corner, interrupting Sam's train of thought as the two carried it over and assembled the last piece of Josh and Donna's bedroom. 

"All done!" Josh announced proudly, puffing his chest a bit. 

Donna didn't mention that it had taken the better part of 4 hours for two graduates of Ivy League schools to assemble a bedroom set. "Good job, babe," she gave him a smile. "How do we know it's sturdy?" She eyed it carefully. 

A serious look came across Josh face. "That would be the Flying Lyman test," he told her matter of fact my. 

"The what?" Donna furrowed her brow. 

Before she knew what was happening Josh scooped her up and took a running leap to flop down on their new bed. She shrieked a bit, caught off guard by his antics, but her screams quickly turned to a smile and genuine laughter. 

"See? Quality construction," he announced tickling her and finding her lips for a kiss.

Sam watched in amazement. Josh was so truly, unabashedly, happy. He was ecstatic for his best friend. This was the kind of love that everyone in the world was searching for. The questions regarding the specifics of their romance, he supposed, could wait for another time. 

"Sam?" Josh's voice pulled Sam from his thoughts. 

"Hmmm?"

"Do me a favor?" Josh's voice had dropped a full octave. They were still laying in tangled, fully clothed, heap on the bed. He was perched on top of her as Donna shot him a mischievous glance, wiggling deliberately under him, forgetting for a quick moment that anyone but the two of them existed in the world. 

"Sure, Buddy."

"Go home. Now." He never took his glare off of Donna. 

"Joshua!" Donna was immediately mortified at what he'd implied, smacking Josh's arm. "Sam was nice enough to help us and he stayed for dinner and..."

"And he's my best friend. And he's a man," Josh cut her off, rolling to prop himself on his side, gazing at her with smoldering eyes. "So he understands why I'm asking him to leave. And leave quickly."

Sam chuckled, grabbing his keys and heading towards the door with a smile. "I hear you loud and clear, buddy. No hard feelings. I'll lock the up on my way out. See you guys tomorrow..." Sam's smirk grew. "Maybe."


	13. Chapter 13

"Josh, no," Donna whined as he practically drug her drown the hall. But he wasn't taking no for an answer. He maintained his brisk pace as Donna drug her feet a bit. He'd been telling her to go to a doctor and he was done playing the waiting game. She'd been coughing and congested and miserable and he wasn't willing to take any chances. 

Barging in to the waiting room they were met with a timid "she's ready for you," to which Josh nodded curtly, proceeding through the double doors as Donna protested again. 

"Josh, I'm fine."

"Sit," he told her in a no nonsense voice and she, begrudgingly, did so. Folding her arms and pouting, Donna let out a little puff of air followed by a coughing fit. 

Josh set his jaw and crossed his own arms staring at Donna. "You were saying?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm fine."

Abbey Bartlet just laughed. "When Josh called and said it was an emergency I should have known." She walked over to her side table and grabbed her medical bag, walking over to Donna. "How long have you been under the weather?"

"Two days?" Donna was pushing her luck and she knew it. 

"Two? TWO days?!" Josh was indignant. He turned to Abbey. "Her throat started to get scratchy about FOUR nights ago. And her cough has been getting worse since then. She started running a fever, I don't know, last night some time. And this morning she looked and sounded like she'd been hit by a truck so I told her to stay at home and go back to bed but not even THREE HOURS LATER guess who I spot walking in the front gates?"

Abbey Bartlet shook her head. "Well Josh, as much as I hate to agree with you, I do think we have a sick woman on our hands. Step outside and I'll take a quick look at Donna."

Josh's eyes widened and a look of panic began to cross his face at the thought of leaving her, even for one minute. "Outside? But... uhh..."

"He can stay," Donna waived her hand around, too exhausted to deal with the nervous energy Josh was currently emitting. "If he sits down and keeps quiet."

Abbey looked between them skeptically but she, too, had learned that the Josh and Donna dynamic was one stone better left unturned. The way he'd described the last few days timeline to her was, however, quite curious. While her husband and Leo and most of DC were so wrapped up in other things that they wouldn't know if their own pants were on fire, Abbey had a more reasonable eye for details. Chalk it up to raising three daughters, she supposed. 

It only took a few minutes for Abbey to quickly examine Donna, announce that she most certainly had strep, write a prescription and send her home to bed. 

"You're on quarantine too, Josh," Abbey stated. "For 24 hours. We don't need the whole West Wing to get sick."

Josh opened his mouth to protest before the lightbulb clicked on in his head and he silence himself. The First Lady had just ordered him to stay at home in bed with Donna for 24 hours. 

"Yes, Ma'am," he announced, taking the prescription she was handing Donna. "Thank you, Ma'am." He helped Donna up and led her out the door, a gentle hand on the small of her back, not saying much of anything to anyone as he grabbed their bags and hurried her to their car. 

OooooooO

"Are you sure you'll be okay out here while I run in and pick up your prescription?" Josh carefully looked around the parking lot as though they were trying to out maneuver the CIA. 

"It's 10 am on a Wednesday in Georgetown, Josh. What exactly do you think is going to happen?"

He opened his mouth to respond before realizing he didn't have an acceptable answer. "Okay. Well we've both got our cell phones. I'll lock the doors. Call me if you need anything, alright?" He looked mildly panicked to leave her for five minutes. 

"Good God, man. I'll be fine! Get on with it so we can go home!" Donna leaned her head back against the seat rest and closed her eyes. 

"That's my girl," Josh cracked a smile and kissed her cheek. "Still feisty."

Donna scoffed, trying to just will herself to make it home before collapsing. Truth was, she felt like hell. And maybe it would be kind of nice to let someone take care of her for once. 

She wasn't sure how long it had been when she awoke to Josh sliding back into the driver's seat of the car, but she didn't care. He was back and they would be home soon. 

She wordlessly let her body fall sideways to rest her head on the center console as he drove them home, his hand gently stroking her hair. She was quiet, and that's when he began to worry. She must really feel awful if she was letting him tend to her. 

"Almost there," he reassured her. She could feel practically feel his eyes studying her as she sniffled. 

He quickly parked and rounded the vehicle, grabbing their bags and helping her inside.  They shuffled down the hallway, Josh dropping the bag containing half off the pharmacy on the nightstand and helped her change into some warm, comfortable clothes and kneeling in front of her to pull a pair of his thickest socks onto her feet. She barely had the energy to keep her eyes open. 

"Here," he spoke softly as he handed her two pills and a glass of water, kissing the top of her head and pulling the covers over her. "Do you need anything else."

"No," she coughed, burrowing down into the blankets. 

"You're sure?"

Donna nodded almost imperceptibly. 

"Okay," Josh loosened his tie. "Well I'm right here if you do."

OooooooO

"You didn't finish your orange juice."

Donna just groaned in response, opening her eyes to see a very concerned Josh standing over her. 

He crossed his arms and glared at her. "You need Vitamin C, Donna. Drink up."

"No," she practically moaned, rolling onto her side and curling up with one of their overstuffed pillows. 

He wrinkled his brow and picked up the thermometer he'd purchased at the drugstore from the nightstand. He moved towards her to take her temperature when she snapped. 

"Oh mah god, stawp. Jus stawp... *AH-CHOO*....you're dwiving me cwazy. I'm a grown woman. If I need someting I'll tell you! If I dwink anymore OJ I'm going to throw up. You bough me 14 kinds of lozenges and kleenex, none of which I need, and you keep checking on me when I just want to nap!! Jus leavei me awone!" She sat up from where she'd been laying in a heap of pillows, her hair wild, her eyes watery and her nose red and shot him a dirty glare. 

He immediately decided that she looked like an angry teddy bear. A stuffed-up, sniffling, fluffy, teddy bear with the worlds most adorable pout. "Well if looks could kill you'd be all set there, pumpkin," his finger brushed her bottom lip. "But since they can't an you have no real voice to continue yelling at me, be a good girl and let me take your temperature and then I'll leave you alone for a few minute."

"UGH! Stop hovering! I'm not going to die in the next half hour. But I swear if you don't let me take a nap I'M going to kill YOU."

He leaned down and kissed her pout. "Very threatening, Donna. I'm scared. Really." He tried not to smile. But when she glared at him, he just chuckled. 

"Temperature and Tylenol, Donna. I'm not taking no for an answer because frankly, you're a little fussy." He stuck the thermometer into her mouth and she huffed in discontent. 

"Donna! You're burning up! Your temperature is 101 degrees!" He sat the thermometer on the nightstand and slipped into his shoes. "That's it. I'm taking you to the emergency room."

She just rolled her eyes. "NO. 101 is hardly burning up," she told him. "I'm fine. I just need some SLEEP!" 

He set his jaw and shook his head. He could see that she was in bad shape. "Thats it!" He threw his arms into the air and stomped out of the room. "I'm calling my mother. 

OooooooO

"Ma, she won't let me take care of her. She won't drink her juice, and her temperature is 101 and she won't go to the doctor and," his voice dropped to a whisper, "she's pretty cranky."

"Are you being overbearing?"

"No! I just want her to feel better."

"When did she last have Tylenol?"

"Ten minutes ago."

"Okay, then I have something important to tell you. Are you listening?"

"Yes, Ma'am." Josh picked up a pen to take any notes and listened intently. 

"Okay. Joshua... chill out."

"But, Mommmm..."

"No whining. You're going to go in there and apologize for being an overprotective ass. And let her sleep for at least 2 hours. When she wakes up, very nicely, ASK her if she'd like something to drink. Then let her take her own damn temperature. If it's over 102, then you can call me back."

Silence.

"Joshua, did you hear me?"

"Yes," he muttered. 

"Good boy."

But his mother's words fell onto deaf ears, as Josh practically dropped the phone. 

"What are you doing up?!" He was almost screeching. 

Donna stood in the hallway with a blanket wrapped around her looking, Josh thought, even more pathetic than she did 15 minutes prior. 

He began to move towards her when Donna burst into tears. 

"Oh God." Now Josh was definitely panicking. "What's wrong?"

She flung her arms around his neck as soon as he was in close enough proximity. "I'm sick," she wailed as though she'd only now made the revelation. 

"I know," he kissed her forehead. God, she was still burning up!

"I'm sorry I was mean to youuuuu," she sobbed, "I don't feel good."

"Oh baby, it's alright. But you've gotta go back to bed." He picked her up, carrying her back to their room where he deposited her softly on the bed, covering her up again and making sure she was comfortable. "Do you, uh, want me to go?" He wasn't sure what she wanted at this point. 

"No," she choked out, easing Josh's nerves as he immediately sprawled out beside her, pulling her close. At least if he could lay with her he could watch out for her. 

It was only a few moments before they were both sound asleep. 

OooooooO 

"You know, now that we're married we aren't allowed to have any secrets from each other." He handed her a properly measured dose of NyQuil. 

Donna raised an eyebrow at him, immediately knowing he was going somewhere with this. That beautiful mind of his had way too much downtime the last few hours. He was clearly waiting for the first moment that she was feeling well enough to have a coherent conversation. She took then medicine, followed by her prescription, just as Abbey had instructed. 

"It's true," Josh continued. "No secrets."

"I already know everything about you and I haven't hidden anything from you about myself," she told him coming , "so what is it that you're just dying to know?"

Josh wore an eager look on his face. "How do CJ and Toby know each other?"

"Oh, God." Donna rolled her eyes and settled back in to her previous spot in bed, curled into his chest. "If you were looking for office gossip you should have married Margaret."

"I'm not even going to dignify that with a response," Josh retorted. "But I think it sounds like you're telling me that there's something to know on this topic."

She halfway laughed. "Why do you care?"

"Donnaaaaa," he whined. "I just want to know!"

"Ask Toby," she responded. 

"Ah ha! So there is something to ask about!"

"This is why you're not a real lawyer." Donna paused to sneeze, Josh making a face at the thought of the number of germs that he was likely sharing the bed with. But he didn't care. Being able to hold her while she was sick was worth the threat of illness. "And I haven't had enough cold medicine to be convinced to tell you that whole story. So I'm going back to sleep," she stated. 

"You're no fun," he grumbled. 

She smiled in her near slumber. "That's not what you were saying a few nights ago." She yawned, starting to feel better. "And that's certainly not what Toby was saying about CJ."

"No. Way." Josh was dumbfounded. 

Donna giggled. "I'm kidding. It was a chance meeting. Toby rear ended her car like 15 years ago." Donna glanced up at her husband, who was shaking his head in disbelief that she'd strung him along. "What? I'm sick and confined to bed. I've gotta get my kicks somehow."

He chuckled and kissed her goodnight as he turned out their bedside lamp. "Donna Lyman, you're one of a kind... *AH-CHOO*!"

Donna chuckled in the dark, a mischievous grin crossing her face. 

"What?" Josh sniffled. 

She kissed his cheek goodnight. "Revenge, my love, is sweet."


	14. Chapter 14

"Josh?" Donna asked a bit timidly. She'd been trying to figure out a tactful way to bring this up. 'Out with it,' seemed to be he rbest idea to date. 

"Yeah, babe?" He was reading through a briefing memo as their car navigated the pleasantly familiar streets of New Hampshire. 

"What's going on with the Bartlets? They're barely speaking to each other."

Josh sighed and closed the folder. It was a messy situation, and one that the President was keeping close to his chest. "I don't think he told her he was going to run again. And I don't think she wants him to."

"Oh." Donna stagedsoftly, chewing on her bottom lip. She really admired the Bartlets. If the White House tests their marriage, she could only wonder what it was going to do to hers. Her marriage, the one that she can't even tell anyone about yet.

"Hey." Josh picks up her hand and looks into her eyes as they stop in traffic. "I swear. I'll always discuss things with you. I won't ever surprise you with anything like that."

Donna relaxed at his words. Not only that he'd promised her an open dialogue but the fact that he knew what was going on in her mind was comforting to her. This is Josh, after all, she reassured herself. She didn't need to worry. "You already do, Joshua. Even before we were married you didn't so much as order a sandwich without me." She smiled at him. "And I promise, I'll always support you. I won't leave you out in the cold." She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. 

Josh looked back at her, eyes warm and face gentle. "You've already proven that a hundred times over."

OooooooO

Josh sat at the table in the bar and gave Donna a halfway amused look. "I said to you, I said this to you, I said, 'do you want any food?'"

"Yes." Donna wasn't disputing that. 

"And you said, 'no, I don't want any food.'"

"...yeah" 

"And now you're eating my food." 

"I'd kind of think you'd have learned it by now." 

"Are you eating the rest of the sandwich?" 

"Are you?"

Josh shot Donna a look before picking it up and taking a bite. He figured he may as well resign himself to the fact that he probably wouldn't be finishing a meal for himself again. 

Connie chuckled at the exchange. She hadn't grown particularly close to either of them in the last week, but from everything she'd learned this was par for the course with the Deputy Chief of Staff and his assistant. "Jeeze," she quipped, "how long have you two been married?"

Josh and Donna both froze, Donna's eyes glancing over to Josh for direction as he swallowed a bite of his sandwich with a gulp. 

But before either had a chance to respond, Margaret piped in, waiving Connie off with a laugh. "That's just Josh and Donna. You'll get used to them. Anyway, I came by about room assignments. Donna, Connie, I hope you don't mind but we're going to have to move you two around. A pipe burst in Connie's room so we're moving her to yours, Donna, if you don't mind bunking with CJ. She's got two double beds."

"Oh, um, sure. That's fine." They'd already established that they'd be sleeping separately on this trip but with their own rooms Donna would have had much more flexibility to come and go at all hours. 

Josh looked visibly dejected at the news but he knew he needed to choose his battles wisely and said nothing. 

"I have your keys here," Margaret handed them over, "and Connie, I'd be glad to help you move your things if Josh will give Donna a hand." 

"Of course," he readily agreed. "We'll just be a few minutes behind you." He gathered his belongings as Donna stood. "Hey, wait," he touched her arm and paused before they left. "Did you get enough to eat? We can order room service or a pizza or something."

She grinned at his thoughtfulness, but couldn't help to have a little fun with him. "So you'll order me my own pizza but I can't have a bite of your sandwich?"

He chuckled. "First of all, that was not a bite. Second, of course you can have my sandwich. What's mine is yours, Donnatella, and I mean that. If you're hungry I'll absolutely go without dinner so you can eat. But if we're in a restaurant just order what you'd like from the menu."

She looked at her feet and nodded her understanding. He knew there was more to the story. 

"Donna? Is there a reason you didn't order dinner tonight?"

"I, uh, I didn't have any cash."

"Okay..."  Josh was trying to understand. "I would have just put it in my bill."

"The other bosses don't buy their assistants dinner."

"Well they do... Toby buys ginger a danish every morning and how often does CJ grab Carol a salad for lunch?"

"I just didn't want it to be an issue," she told him. 

"Why in God's name would you worry about that? I would have bought you your own food tonight. Or any other night for that matter."

"It wasn't your job to take care of me then. And nobody knows why you want to take care of me now."

He could see in her eyes that she didn't meant for that to come out snarky, but keeping this secret was harder on her than he realized.

"C'mere." He wrapped her in his arms. "We need to wait a little longer to announce it, but its not that big of a deal if someone figures it out. I love you. I really do want to shout it out from the rooftops. But if we did it now, I don't think we'd like the response we get."

"I know, I understand, Josh. I really do. I love you too."

He let her go, reaching into his back pocket to pull out his wallet. "Hey, hand me your wallet." 

She gave him a strange look but complied, fishing it out of her purse. "We can find an ATM tomorrow, but here's some cash in the mean time." He pulled the bills from his own wallet and transferred them to hers. After that he pulled a credit card out, verifying she still had it in there. It was platinum and it said "Donna Moss Lyman" on it. It still gave him a little thrill to see it. "In the mean time, if you are worried about optics, use your own card. There is NO reason for you to be hungry." 

He was being slightly patronizing so she didn't feel bad calling him out for his obvious error.

"Um, Josh?"

"Yeah?"

"Read that name outloud."

"Donna Moss Lyman."

"Yeah, now picture the server calling out names while handing back everyone's card."

"Oh. Good point." He stood there for a moment and stared at the card. "Donna? It was never supposed to be like this. It was never supposed to be this hard."

Donna sighed. "I know. But it is." She touched his arm softly and titled her head to meet his eyes. "But Josh? It's worth it."

He beamed. "Yeah. Yeah, it is."

OooooooO

"Hey, stranger," CJ let the door slam behind her as she entered her shared hotel room with Donna. "Sounds like we're going to be roomies for a few days." CJ paused where she stood and stared at her sister, who was on her hands and knees pawing through the mini bar. "What are you doing??"

Donna's head popped into view. "Oh. Hey." She stood, dusting her knees off and holding up he'd treasure. "Candy bars." She smiled as though it explained itself. "I thought we could use a treat."

It had been several weeks since Donna had gotten engaged, and during their hectic lives CJ hadn't spent much personal time with her little sister since then. Donna hadn't officially moved out but she hadn't spent the night in their apartment in months, either. CJ tried not to press the issue of Donna's mystery man but she was becoming a bit antsy about his identity. 

And given Donna's track record with men, CJ was praying that Donna wasn't hiding this guy away because she was in over her head with some asshole, and she expressed her worries as such. 

"Seriously, Donna, I'll kill him. Or better yet I'll sic Josh on him." CJ took a drink of wine out of the mini bar bottle and popped the last bit of chocolate that Donna dug up into her mouth. 

Donna just giggled. "Everything is fine, Ceej. More than fine, actually. It's perfect. He's perfect," she beamed. "It's just... well don't you think there's going to be enough upheaval in our lives? I just want to protect my mar-- my relationship while I can."

CJ didn't notice her stumble. "Well I guess I can understand that." She didn't, really, but she was trying her best to be supportive though her patience was limited. "On one condition..."

Donna's pulse rose a little bit. "What's that?"

CJ smiled slyly. "I'm going to need some dirty details."

"Okay, okay." Donna got a sly smile. Well, she thought, CJ deserves what she's gets, after all she asked for it. "He's got great hands, and he knows how to use them."

"Oh?"

"Ohhhh, yeah... Multiple times a night. I'm starting to get a Pavlovian response every time I see them"

"Wow."

"I'll say." Donna gave a satisfied smirk, immediately wishing she would be alone with Josh that night. 

"Wait... Every night?"

"Well... yeah. He's very... passionate."

"Ugh. You have all the luck." CJ playfully elbowed Donna. "Does he have a brother?"

Donna just chuckled. "No, Ceej, he doesn't. But I stopped by the other night to get those tan sandals from my closet... and I think you're having plenty of good luck for yourself. Or at least it sounded like it."

CJ blushed a bit. "I, uh... I can explain."

Donna just raised an eyebrow and looked at her sister with anticipation. 

"Well that is, I could," CJ stated humorously. "But I'm not going to since we have a strict sister to sister policy against names."

Donna laughed. "Well played, Claudia Jean. Well played."

OooooooO 

Donna knocked lightly on the door to Josh's room. He was supposed to be downstairs in the van with the rest of senior staff. 

"Come in."

Donna entered the room and shut the door behind her, somewhat shocked by her husband's current state. His room looked like a tornado had gone through it and he was completely unprepared for the day. He was slouching in a wing chair in his sweats eating candy with a defeatist look on his face. 

"You're supposed to be downstairs." She was trying to remain casual, getting a feel for his mood. 

"Yeah."

"You're not ready yet?" She moved closer to him leaning down to give him a quick kiss hello. 

Josh was exasperated. "We're blowing this RU-486 thing."

Donna couldn't stop to talk to him about it. She had to get him back into his aggressive political headspace and put the door. "You've got to get in the shower." Donna hurried around the room, gathering his clothing to try and move him along and get ready. They all needed him to be at the top of his game today. 

Josh didn't budge, still stuck on the FDA announcement. "Among everything else, it's gonna look like we're kicking off the campaign by pandering to women's groups."

Donna was becoming mildly annoyed. She was going to need him to participate if she was going to get him out the door and to the kick off. "Josh..."

But Josh just continued on his rant. His mind was stuck on this. Donna just let him talk it through for a few more minutes. "It's gonna look like we screwed up the timing so the press is gonna write about process and not about issues, and getting political reporters to write   
about issues in the first place is like getting kids to eat their vegetables."

"You've got to shave." 

"Don't you want to know how it's like getting kids to eat their vegetables?"

She figured it would be the same as getting the Deputy Chief of Staff to eat his vegetables, but she kept her comment to herself. One of them needed to remain focused. "Shave and shower."

Josh sighed and finally, begrudgingly, got up from his chair, shuffling towards the bathroom. "It helps if there's nothing else on their plate," he told her. 

But Donna wasn't paying attention to his bizarre analogy, all she could focus on was how exhausted he looked. "You couldn't sleep?"

Josh stopped to turn and look at her. He was at the end of his fuse. "I know I could stop this thing! One phone call! The President's not even involved! "Could you do us a favor, could you hold off two weeks? We love your drug but we don't want it folded into our news cycle!"

He was becoming more and more animated, a distressed look on his face as his breathing b came heavy and somewhat panicked. "I could have picked up the phone, I could have picked up the phone, I could..."

"Josh... " She took one tentative step towards him, not liking where this was headed. She'd seen it before and it had never ended well. 

All of the sudden he turned away from her and smacked the bathroom door frame with all of the force he had. 

"God!!" He leaned against the doorframe, looking very upset.

"Baby? What's this about?" She continued towards him, leaning on the wall next to him. She wanted him to know she was there for him, and always would be, but she didn't want to overwhelm him. 

Josh sighed. "I blew the tobacco thing... That could have helped us, and I was..." He shook his head, disgusted with himself. He was still breathing heavily. "This is gonna be a very close election."

Donna was extremely worried, but didn't say anything at first. But she knew what happened when they both bottled up their thoughts. 

"Are you sure thats it? You seem... You seem frustrated."

"I am! I am frustrated. I can't even buy my own wife dinner. Or kiss her when she leaves the room. Or sleep in the same hotel room with her! I'm feuding with big tobacco, and Leo and the FDA and Bruno. Toby is mad and CJ made a major blunder out of the Haiti thing and Sam is off his game..." He sighed, scrubbing his hand over his face. "I just miss you. I miss our time at night."

"We've only been in New Hampshire for four days, Josh," she tried to lighten the mood. 

"I know. But I don't rest well at night without you by my side. It's like I never leave work. Sometimes I don't know how I'm going to make it through the next meeting without touching you. And I sit here all day, listening to experts strategize on whether or not the President should apologize for not disclosing an illness and all I can think of is what I'd do in a similar situation. And I'll tell you right now, Donna, that no matter what comes for us I will never apologize for loving you."

He opened his arms to her and she fell into him. He held her for a few moments, immediately feeling better, before kissing her forehead. 

"Kay. I gotta take a shower," he told her, letting her go and kicking himself into overdrive, leaving Donna standing silently in the middle of his room.

OooooooooO

Donna quietly pad down the dimly lit hallway and pulled out her key card, trying not to make a sound as she let herself into Josh's room. She was glad that CJ had taken some nighttime cold medication for her migraine and fallen into a deep slumber. Once inside she slid into Josh's bed and he immediately turned and pulled her tight to him.

"Not that I'm complaining but what are you doing here?"

"Helping you get a better night's sleep."

"I'm suddenly not feeling tired anymore."

"Well, then let's see what we can do to change that." 

She moved to straddle him and instructed him to lay on his stomach as she rubbed his back. She worked a few knots out and and felt the tension in his shoulders dissipate before Josh grew restless and turned over, tugging at her top as his hands snaked up her pajama shorts. She interlaced her fingers and stilled his motion, leaning down to kiss him passionately on the lips, letting him know she had to have him. She began to inch lower on his body, taking her time. 

"Donna-"

She wasn't sure if it was a question or a warning. 

"Shhhh," she silenced him softly, her lips grazing against the side of his neck as she spoke. "It's okay, just let me. Just let me take care of you."

"But I-" he began to protest, almost reflexively, as her lips trailed down his chest to his abdomen. "You don't have to..."

She looked up at him. "I know I don't. But I want to. Is that okay?"

He nodded eagerly, feeling rather stupid at his lack of verbal ability. But given what was about to happen he gave himself a pass. 

"Just let yourself relax, Josh. It's alright to decompress a little bit," she assured him. Josh felt his tension melting away under her touch. 

Just as she was in every other aspect of his life, Donna was completely tuned to him. And after he'd come down from his high she curled up in his arms and enjoyed their peaceful moment as he drifted off into a sound sleep. 

Just before dawn she slipped out with none the wiser. She smirked to herself all day, enjoying the secret for once. Until that day at lunch time, when Leo cornered her as she was grabbing a bottle of water to accompany her salad. 

"I don't know what you did to get him off the ledge, but he's actually functional today. You always seem to know what he needs, Donna. Keep up the good work." 

"Yes, sir. Thanks." Donna could barely bite back the snicker. If he only knew.


	15. Chapter 15

"A word, Miss Moss?" CJ let herself into Josh's office, looking totally and completely flustered.

Josh raised his eyebrows, but said nothing as he glanced at Donna, taking the brown paper bag she was holding that contained his breakfast. 

"What?" Donna was causally defensive at CJ's tone, not having any idea what she could possibly want. 

"I need to talk to you," CJ made a strange face at Donna, as though she was trying to send a silent message to her sister.

"About...?" Donna wasn't catching on. And she seriously wasn't in the mood right now. 

"Donnatella." CJ widened her eyes a bit and stuck her neck out. "I need to speak to you. Privately."

Donna rolled her eyes. This was probably going to be the same spat they'd had 10 times this week. CJ was just so obsessed with her dating life and frankly Donna didn't want to discuss it at the moment. They'd been 50 rounds on her future with a man whom CJ just couldn't be sure about until she met him. And Donna just wasn't ready to give up her privacy yet. She thought they'd reached an agreement, but as the weeks passed it was becoming more and more clear that CJ was running out of patience for what she believed to be unneeded secrecy. But after the way Donna's morning started out, she didn't have the energy or focus to deal with her sister right now 

"CJ, I assure you, whatever you have to say to me you can say in front of Josh." Donna took a sip of her hot tea.

"I really can't," CJ hissed through gritted teeth.

"You can. So spit it out or we can do this later." Donna was feeling rather punchy this morning and CJ was in no mood.

"Oh really?" CJ questioned, her hands on her hips as she stared her sister down.

Josh shuffled through the papers on his desk, not really paying close attention to the spat that the sisters were having in front of him. He'd heard it all before. From both of them.

"Alright, Fine," CJ scoffed. "You're pregnant." It was clearly a statement of fact and not a question.

Josh froze. You could have knocked him over with a feather. The room was dead silent for several moments, Josh unable to react. "Donna?" he finally squeaked out. His mind was a jumble. Had he heard that correctly?

Donna closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "CJ," she whispered, almost pleading with her older sister, "can we please do this later?"

"No! We can't! It's time to grow up, Donna!" CJ was adamant. 

"CJ, can we get a minute?" Josh tried with all of his might to hold onto his composure.

But CJ ignored him. She wasn't sure what was going on with Donna lately, but this changed everything. She'd promised herself she'd look out for Donna when they moved to DC, and she thought she'd done a pretty decent job, overall. But now, she was engaged to and effectively living with some man CJ had never met and now she'd gotten pregnant. Being aloof and casual was no longer an option. CJ wanted to know who this guy was and she wanted to know now. Her next stop would be to Toby's office to borrow his bat... "I am not leaving this office without full disclosure, Donna. Enough is enough!"

"CJ, Get. Out!" Josh was practically growling. She'd only seen that level of intensity from him once before, and she'd never wanted to be on the receiving end.

She shot Josh a look. "Come on, Donna, we'll continue this in my office," CJ told her.

"No, you won't. Donna, sit down. CJ, for the last time, get out of my office!" Josh opened the side door for the press secretary, who was seething mad, and slammed it behind her, locking it for good measure. Josh rest a hand on the door and hung his head, trying to compose himself. He scrubbed his hand over his face and closed his eyes. "Donna. Tell me she's mistaken."

Donna's breath caught in her throat. 

"What a mess. Of all the days, Donna. Of all the times this could have happened there couldn't have been a worse-" he turned, stopping his rambling speech in his throat. "Donna? Sweetheart?" He was immediately across the room and crouched down in front of the chair where she was sitting. "Please don't cry," he tried to pull her hands from her face. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? WHAT'S WRONG?!" Donna didn't even attempt to keep her voice down. It was as high as he'd ever heard it with the edge of hysteria in it. Her eyes were wild behind the tears that were spilling out and running down her cheeks unchecked.

She took a large, ragged breath, and this time her voice came out deadly quiet. "What's wrong?" Her hand covered her stomach protectively. "Apparently everything."

Josh's eyes went wide and he shook his head in disbelief. He'd already royally fucked this all up. He'd could kick himself. 

He actually saw the moment something snapped in her and she went from hurt to anger. She stood up and stormed out of the office, leaving Josh in a confused stupor.

"Josh. Leo needs us. Now." Toby stood in the doorway.

"I'll be there in a minute," Josh muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

"Now," Toby repeated. "It's urgent."

Josh muttered a few choice words under his breath before standing up and stalking towards the Chief of Staff's office with Toby. He knew he should probably follow her, but honesty he needed to get his thoughts together first. He needed to figure this out in his own head.

"Did I just see Donna leave?" Toby asked in his even keel tone.

"Yeah," Josh muttered. 

"She seemed angry." Toby adjusted his tie somewhat nervously, "You didn't tell her anything, did you? About this meeting?"

Josh shot him a glare. "No, as a matter of fact I haven't said a WORD to Donna, as you damn well know. You're the one who told her about the thing to begin with. It has nothing to do with that. God forbid any of us have a personal life or are upset about anything that happens outside the walls of this building!"

Toby nodded his head and stepped back. He didn't want a piece of whatever had Josh so worked up. 

OooooooooooO

Josh came back into the bullpen with a blazing headache. Leo had needed him to be fully engaged in the meeting and it took all of his mental energy to stay on task and not let his mind wander back to the bombshell that Donna is having his baby. It seemed like the meeting would never end. But once it finally did it hadn't taken even 2 seconds for his brain to switch gears. During the short walk from Leo's office to the bullpen he was pleasantly surprised to discover that he was actually elated about her news.

Sure, the timing really couldn't be much worse, but on the other hand, DONNA IS HAVING THEIR BABY!! What could be better than that? He never wanted to admit to himself that he's wanted a family of his own because the thought scares the hell out of him. There were just so many bad things in the world, how will he keep them safe? What if there is a fire? An illness? A shooting? Will he be a good Dad? He knows he can get so caught up in work he loses track of everything else. Just like he did this morning. 

He practically bounced back towards his office. He was borderline giddy. He could already see himself playing catch with her mini-me. A sweet little girl with blue eyes and blonde curls. Or maybe a son... someone to carry on the family name. There would be first steps and baseball games and school plays. And maybe they'd try for another soon. He couldn't wait. 

But Josh came to a dead stop when he passed her desk. It was empty. Maybe she was waiting in his office. He rounded the corner, ready to wrap her in his arms but no, she wasn't there either. He glanced at his watch, like that would give him the answer. It was almost 2pm, surely she wouldn't still be at lunch. He pulled out his cell and called hers, his pulse quickening when his call went straight to voicemail. 

"Hey," he peeked in. "You seen Donna?"

CJ glanced up and met his gaze. "No... Why?"

"She's not at her desk and she didn't leave a note. And she's not answering her cell..."

CJ picked up the phone immediately and dialed Donna's number, only for it to go unanswered. CJ left a voicemail requesting a call back and went back to what she was doing. "She's probably with him," she remarked casually. 

"She's not," Josh muttered, quickly pressing redial on his phone and walking back into his office, calling and leaving voicemails in a borderline neurotic fashion. 

"Donna? Call me back. I don't know where you are and we need to talk."

"Donna, I'm serious. Call me back."

"Sweetheart? Please? I just want to know you're okay. Where are you?"

The desperation was becoming evident in his voice. 

"Baby, I'm sorry. Just... if you don't want to talk to me then just let CJ know you're okay. Alright? We're both worried. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

It was only a few minutes before the president needed him, taking up another two hours of his time. 

It wasn't late by White House standards when he left the Oval, but Josh had been trying to leave for hours. Donna hadn't come back to the office all day and he'd frantically called her several times, leaving increasingly panicked voicemails filled with apologies. CJ had done the same, completely distraught at the way she had handled things. She'd catch Josh in hurried passing every so often. "Have you heard from her?" They'd both ask the other. But the answer was no. 

Josh and CJ were alone in Leo's office that afternoon, standing in worried silence as they waited for the rest of senior staff, all of which were being hurriedly summoned by Margaret with no explanation as to the reason behind the meeting. 

"How'd you know?" Josh was curious as to how CJ had this morning's information about his wife and child before he did. 

"I was out of toothpaste this morning," she sighed, letting her file folder fall to the table with a thud. "I went into Donna's bathroom to borrow some and I saw the test."

Josh nodded his head in slow comprehension. 

"I just-" CJ was clearly looking for the words to express the myriad of emotions she was experiencing. "I should have handled it differently." CJ looked about as bad as Josh felt. "It's just when I saw the test in my apartment, it freaked me out. I thought everything was great with this guy. Why would she take the test at my place? Is she afraid of his reaction like she would have been with that jerk Dr. Freeride? I can't stand the thought of her going through that again. And I want her to be able to come to me with things like this. I thought we'd made progress since the last time. I thought I was doing it the right way."

Josh gulped, fidgeting with the cuffs on his sleeves. "Last time?" He was almost afraid to ask. "Freeride got her..."

"NO!" CJ could see how it could be easily misconstrued. "I'm just saying that if she's in a bad situation again I hope she says something. I don't want this guy to hurt her."

"He doesn't want to hurt her, CJ. He loves her."

CJ sighed, so Josh continued. 

"Do you really think I'm going to let something happen to her?" 

CJ placed her hand on Josh's shoulder. "No, mi amor, I don't. And believe me, the thought that you're inside on this one is the only thing that's let me get any sleep over the last few months. You're a good man, Josh. I don't know what we'd do without you."

She stood and gave him a hug and Josh reciprocated, needing it as much as she did. "Everything's going to be okay, Aunt CJ," he told her with a reserved smile. "I'm going to make sure of that."

They were interrupted shortly after that, Leo railing on pushback from the House on a new piece of legislation as well as some developments in the sit room, and once again they were stuck in a marathon meeting. 

Finally, after what had been some of the most terrifying hours of Josh's life, CJ leaned over during the group discussion and quietly confirmed that she'd received a text message from Donna. 

'I'm fine,' she'd written, 'I just need some time to think.'

But that didn't completely ease Josh's fears. He wasn't going to feel any better until he saw her. 

Finally making his way back to his office, Josh looked up from his desk when he heard the door to his office close. He immediately looked up, praying it was Donna. 

Instead he was met with Sam, grinning wildly. 

"What?" Josh wasn't in the mood for pleasantries. 

"I heard congratulations are in order!"

Josh just started at his best friend. He had no idea what to say. 

"You heard?"

"I did. It's confined to just CJ, Toby and I. But I figured, you know... I have a large piece of information that they don't." 

Josh continued to stare at Sam. "Yeah."

"Well? Aren't you excited? Donna's pregnant! Can you believe it, buddy? Your wife is having your baby! I bet your mother is over the moon." Sam rounded the counter of Josh's desk and clapped him on the back. 

Josh felt the first smile of the day tug at the corners of his mouth. This is the way it should be. This is the way it should have been this morning. His wife, his soulmate, was pregnant with their child. Why shouldn't he be happy? God knows, with all of the hell they've endured over the last few years, they deserve to be happy. 

"Oh God, Sam." Josh sat back down in his office chair with a crash, pressing his hands into his eyes. "I've screwed this up so badly."

"What? In one day?" Sam almost laughed. "How could that be possible? Even for you."

Josh stared blankly out his office window. "I think that I made her thing... well, something I don't think at all." He couldn't bring himself to day it. 

"Very articulate there, buddy. This must be why they pay me to write instead of you," Sam quipped. 

Josh pinched the bridge of his nose. "Sam..."

Sam held his hand up. "I don't need the details, Josh. But you love her, and she loves you, and my god I've never seen two people more perfect for each other. So if you've wrecked it, damnit, you better fix it. And if you already know that then why in the hell are you still here?" 

Sam's voice was escalating in volume as he spoke. He needed to get through to Josh. He didn't know what the issue was, exactly, but he'd seen Josh and Donna together. It made him believe in true love. Sometimes Josh just needed a shove in the right direction. 

Josh stood immediately and grabbed his keys. He didn't care who it would anger- he left. He wanted to go home and try to find some way to make this up to her- though he wasn't sure he could. Sure, it had come as a shock to him, but honestly, it was just that- shock. Overall, he was nothing less than elated about the whole situation. His wife was having a baby. His Donna was having their baby. He was beaming just thinking about it. 

But when he opened the door to their apartment he was met with dark silence. She wasn't waiting up for him. "Shit," Josh spat out loud to no one. He'd really done it now. He'd ruined the only thing that mattered to him. He dropped his backpack and immediately raced to their bedroom, finally able to breathe when he saw her sleeping form on their bed. He took a few quiet steps back to the kitchen, digging through the junk drawer for his spare key ring, slipping back out of the apartment and walking down to his store room. A simple apology couldn't convey what he was trying to say. 

He knew exactly where it was and Josh quickly located the box, digging around for the item he'd searched for. He pulled it out, thanking his mother for being smart enough to store it in an air tight plastic bag all these years, and made his way back up to their bedroom.

He sat softly on the edge of the bed, watching her sleep and hating himself for the man he'd been that morning. He reached out to softly touch her face and her eyes slowly opened, batting a few times as she adjusted to her surroundings. 

"Hey there," he told her softly, sitting down next to her. "How you doing?"

Donna bit her lip and looked away from him. 

Josh wasn't used to a Donna who bit her tongue, and frankly it frightened him. He tried a different approach. 

"I don't know how to say this the right way, Donna. I know sometimes you think I always know what to say, but I really don't. I mean, sometimes, with political fights, I manage. But when it comes to this? Love, family, I'm not so good with the words. But I'm gonna try and I hope you'll hear me out. Okay?"

She turns back to look at him and the tears in her eyes almost undo him on the spot. It might have been easier to do this without the eye contact. But still he has to try. He's just relieved to have the chance. Grateful that she's listening to anything he has to say. He knows it's more than he deserves after that morning. 

"For most of my life I've tried really hard not to imagine having a wife and kids. It really scared me. I've poured myself into school and then work, and I missed something. I really thought I'd be a bachelor forever. Then you came along and I finally realized how important this is. I've realized that maybe I can be happy. That I want to be happy. I don't want to lose you, Donna. Nothing else in this world matters. Honestly, I wasn't thinking about a baby yet because this is so new for us, and it's just so perfect the way it is that I've been desperate to protect it. To keep it sacred. But now that you're pregnant, I'm thrilled about that too. I really am. I'm sorry I reacted so badly. I'll spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you. Please don't leave me. If I don't have you and this little one, life isn't really worth anything any more."

Donna lay still, unsure of what to say. The entire day had been completely overwhelming. 

"What's in your hand?" She finally asked him, her voice silk raw with emotion. His apology softened her up a little. Maybe she'd decide to forgive him in the next 50 years or so.

"Oh, right." He held the little tattered stuffed dog up sheepishly, almost having forgotten it was there. "I don't have many things from my childhood, but I had this little dog. Somehow it was salvaged from the fire. It's pretty rough around the edges. But it still has a lot of love in it, if you just give it a chance."

She immediately understood what he was saying. He's like the little dog. He does have a lot of love in him. Is she going to throw that away because of one bad reaction, especially under the circumstances? NO. She most certainly isn't.

"Here we were being so careful to keep this secret and I go an blow it by getting pregnant. I feel so stupid."

"No way. We're not going down this road. Both of us were there when it happened- we're not playing the blame game. Not now, not ever. Are we clear on that?"

She softly nods her head. "Could you please get in this bed and hold me? I'm pretty overwhelmed right now."

As soon as he wraps her up in his arms, she starts to feel better. They can handle this together.

"Even if no one knows you're married, you are. You aren't in this alone. I'm not going to let anything bad happen to either of you."

"CJ is really pissed at me. I can't even imagine how mad Leo will be. Or what my mother will say."

"Mostly, CJ is really scared for you. She'll come around once you talk to her. Same for Leo and your mother. Don't worry about any of them. But speaking of CJ, you need to call her before you go to sleep and tell her you're okay. She's worried sick about you."

She nodded her understanding. "They're going to be really upset to have been left out of the loop for so long."

"I'll take the heat. We'll tell them I insisted. Eventually CJ will stop thinking like a sister and start thinking like a Press Secretary and she'll understand why we did what we did. Leo will understand too. And maybe CJ can help with your mom."

"I hope so. And then there's Toby. I hope he isn't disappointed. 

"Toby is anything but disappointed in you, Donna. And I don't think he's really that in the dark about all of this. I haven't told him anything but... well, he's Toby."

"Just watch out for his bat, Josh."

Josh let out a puff of air. Maybe they were getting back to level ground again. "Good advice, sweetheart. Good advice."

He kissed the top of her head and pulled her a little closer, noticing that some of the tension was slowly drifting out of her. 

"So when did you first suspect," he asks her, his fingertips gently tracing her side. "And how are you feeling?"

"Well..." now it's her turn to look a little sheepish. "I guess I first suspected a few weeks ago," she admits. 

"Weeks?!" He wondered how he could have missed this. 

"Calm down," she told him. "It was just a suspicion. Nothing was confirmed until this morning."

"Okay... so how far along do you think you are?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not positive. Just over two months maybe? I'll make an appointment for next week and we'll know more then."

"Kay. Block out some time for me to go too," he kissed her on the forehead and she smiled, thrilled that he really wanted to be a part of this. "How have you been feeling," he asked, concerned. 

"I'm fine, Josh," she almost laughed. "You've seen me every day. The symptoms don't just crop up after you take the test."

"And why... why didn't you take the test?"

Her voice became quiet again. "I was scared, Josh. I was scared of what it would mean. Of all the things I just told you. And taking the test was going to make it real. I'm scared of the recourse from work and my family and... and I didn't want- don't want- to ruin your career."

He was quiet for a moment, letting that sink in. 

"You're happy, aren't you Donna? That's the most important thing- not what anyone else thinks. I know the timing isn't perfect, but I love you and I love our baby."

"Yes! I'm happy that I'm having your baby! Ever since I've started to suspect that I was pregnant I've alternated between hoping the test was positive and reminding myself that it would be better for your career if it was negative."

He squeezed her a little tighter. "It's better for me that you love me and we are staring a family. If it's not good for my career, I'll find a new career. I'm sorry keeping this marriage a secret has been so hard on you. I swear, I didn't do it to hurt you or to advance my career. We need to start thinking about how to tell people. There may never be a perfect time for how it effects them, but I'm done putting everyone else first. From this moment on we make the decisions that are best for our family."

She moves to hold him. "Josh? I need you to listen to me now, okay?"

He nodded his agreement as she pulled away slightly to look him in the eyes. "You have to stop worrying. You have to stop worrying that I'm going to leave you. I'm not, okay? We're going to have some bad days here and there. Some disagreements. But I'm not just going to give up at the drop of a hat. I'm never just going to disappear again." She leaned in and kissed him softly. "Do you understand?"

He let out a shuttered breath and that was the first time Donna realized how heavy with emotion he was. Unable to find the words to express his relief, he pulled her close to him and buried his face in her neck. She could feel the silent tears on her skin, and she held him tight. This had been as hard on him as it was on her. "I love you, Josh," she assured him.  She didn't want there to ever be any doubt about that. 

They lay in quiet comfort of the dark room, content to make soft, slow love and hold each other for hours before finally Donna spoke. 

"Does it have a name?"

"Hmm?" Josh was dozing off. 

"The dog. Does it have a name?"

"Oh," he looks a little sheepish. "Yes. His name is Mr. Dog."

She laughed for the first time all night. "Mr. Dog?"

"Hey, I wasn't the most creative child in the world."

"Josh?" She giggled. "I'm naming the kid."

"See, Donnatella?" He kissed her softly. "We've already got a plan. It's all going to be just fine."


	16. Chapter 16

Josh stood behind his desk, one hand on his waist as he clutched the phone with the other. He'd been listening impatiently to the head of the party and he was close to the end of his rope at this point. He drew in a breath and set his jaw. If it wouldn't cause major backlash he would have hung up ten minutes ago. 

His door opened slightly and Donna peeked in a bit, eyes glassy and bottom lip trembling slightly. 

He wasn't sure what was wrong but he knew what she wanted. This was becoming standard procedure lately. She was crying at the drop of a hat. Still on his call, Josh opened his free arm to her and she hurried in, closing the door behind her and burying her face in his shoulder. He wrapped her up tightly and kissed the top of her head, gently stroking her arm as he halfway listened to party chair continue on his rant.  He hung up the phone as soon as he was able, and turned his complete attention to Donna. 

"What's wrong, sweetheart," he asked softly. 

He heard her mumble something about banana peppers into his shirt but was able to quell his laughter in his throat. It was a valuable skill he'd picked up. He'd made the mistake at chuckling about something completely irrational that upset her before, and ever in his life had he seen someone go from crying to rage that quickly. 

The books had warned about the mood swings. But they hadn't done them justice. He had to admit though, it was funny to watch Toby stand in fear of Donna every time he needed something from the DCOS office. 

Josh sat down in his chair and pulled her onto his lap, content to just to hold her, his hand resting protectively on her bump. 

"Did you drink your orange juice today?" 

Donna groaned a bit. "Most of it."

"Donna, Dr. Reynolds said you need-" 

"I know," she cut him off, feeling his concern grow rapidly. "It's just giving me heartburn when I drink it."

"I know," he smoothed her hair. "You're doing a great job, Mama." Josh hadn't been around many pregnant woman but he had to admit- he was somewhat shocked at the toll it was taking on Donna. "This is my late night," he reminded her. "I have a wrap up in the Oval and a meeting in Leo's office. Why don't you go home, take a bath and relax?"

She rest her head on his shoulder. "None of the other assistants have left yet."

He smiled, a dimple popping out on his cheek. "Yes, but none of the other assistants are my pregnant wife." He was practically gushing. He really couldn't be any happier. He wanted to shout it from the rooftops. She's pregnant with their child!

"Kay," she relented with minimal prodding, standing to gather her things. 

"Alright. I'll see you at home. Goodnight, baby," he kissed her softly before moving his fingers to lightly drum on her bump. "Goodnight, baby," he repeated towards her abdomen, causing them both to smile. 

OoooooooO

"How is it possible that I've gained 6 pounds since your assistant got pregnant?" Charlie spun halfway around in his chair to face Josh as he waited outside the Oval. 

Josh grinned. "It's the donuts, isn't it?"

"She brings them in every morning! I didn't even know someone that small could eat that much."

"And god help you if you come between her and the one she wants. I reached for the last cruller last week and she almost took my arm off," Toby chimed in. 

Josh just laughed and shook his head. It was so unlike Donna to eat that way. Even she was surprised. He'd given her a funny look when she was finishing off her third chocolate covered eclair a few weeks ago and she cracked. "This is your fault," she stated between bites. "There's a tiny little Lyman inside of me and it wants carbs like daddy does!"

Josh's heart could have exploded on the spot. As much as she was eating, the doctor was thrilled with Donna's progress. Right in line with the weight he'd wanted her to gain. And she usually rounded out breakfast well a well balanced dinner. 

"What about you?" Charlie asked. "She's always bringing snacks into your bullpen. How much have you gained?"

"I've lost 4," Josh stated flatly. 

"Lost?" Even Toby couldn't believe that any of them could lose weight with Donna's new dietary habits. 

"Yeah," Josh confirmed. "By the time I get back from my mid day meetings she's usually eaten both of our lunches." He couldn't help but smile though. He'd skip lunch every day if it meant she was full. 

Charlie's phone rang, distracting him from the conversation. 

"You look tired," Toby noted. "Sleeping okay?"

Josh glanced away. Truth be told, Donna had been flopping around in their bed like a trout the last few weeks. And when she'd finally get comfortable it would usually only be a minute or two before she'd have to get up to pee. 

He made a mental note to be sure and never make that comparison- fish to wife- out loud. 

"Just, uh, a few late nights. That's all," Josh brushed him off. It wasn't a hard sell as Josh hadn't seen less than a 15 hour day in months. 

"He's ready for you," Charlie announced, leading them into the Oval.

OoooooO

Josh and Toby quickly wrapped up their meeting with the President and made their way into Leo's office for a last minute prep session with White House council before any of them met with the congressional committee. 

Josh had lost track of time along the way but he felt like he'd been there for at least 10 years. The questions had all been the same so far. Were you aware of the President's condition? Did you make any effort to conceal the President's illness from the American public? Have you ever willingly defrauded American voters? 

Frankly, it was getting boring. 

Council continued to drone on and on. Josh leaned his head back against the wall, antsy to get home for the night. 

"They're going to try to rattle you," Babish told them. "Even if we object, they will have gotten the question out there already. There's no limit to what these people can dream up just to throw you off of your game. So let's switch gears."

He began to pelt questions at each of them- asking Sam about Lori, CJ about an arrest that never happened, Toby about his father, Leo about his substance abuse. It was abrasive to say the least. And since Josh's PTSD was one of the worst kept secrets in DC, he was prepping himself for what he saw coming. 

"Mr. Lyman," Babish spoke with flourish, shuffling a few papers around.

Josh stifled a yawn.

The chief council stared him down. "Have you ever had a sexual relationship with your assistant?"

Josh's heart was pounding in his chest. Sam looked at the floor, CJ chuckled a bit thinking the question was beyond bizarre, and Toby took a casual drink of scotch.

Babish furrowed his brow. "Mr. Lyman? Your response, please?"

Josh remained where he sat, casually spread out on the couch, and stared at Leo.

"Yes," he stated confidently, never breaking eye contact.

The room was dead quiet for just a heartbeat.

"What? What?!!?" CJ asked, her eyes widening, as she bolted upright from her chair and levied her most menacing gaze on Josh. She was sure she'd heard him wrong. "You did WHAT?!"

Leo stood, cutting her off. "EVERYBODY OUT!"

That stirred a reaction from Toby, who moved slowly, straightening his tie before calmly exiting, a very jumpy Sam following closely behind. CJ stood her ground.

"Out, CJ," Leo repeated, not peeling his eyes from the apparent staring contest he was engaged in with the Chief of Staff. 

"Leo, I think that given the circumstances I should stay for this!"

Leo broke his gaze with Josh. "Wait in Margaret's office," Leo instructed. "Speak to no one. That includes Donna. Do you understand me?"

CJ nodded her agreement, shooting Josh one hell of a look as she exited to the outer office, mumbling under her breath as steam practically came out of her ears. "I swear to God, Lyman..." She was, without a doubt furious and spoiling for a fight.

Leo quickly shut the door, ready to tear into his deputy. 

"What in the hell were you thinking?!" The Chief of Staff's booming voice brought him back to reality. "JUST HOW STUPID ARE YOU?"

"Leo, it's not like that."

"I know it's not like that, Josh! I've got eyes in my head and I've known you since you were three years old. But did you stop to think about what it's going to look like? What the press is going to do to this administration, to you and... Jesus, Josh! Did you think about what its going to do to her?"

Josh took a deep breath, letting it slowly escape his lips as he planted his hands in his pocket. 

"Normally," Leo interjected, "I'd like to keep shit like this as far away from the President as possible but I think that ship has sailed," he announced. "So we might as well get this all out of the way at once." He knocked on the connecting door to the oval, waiving the President in.

"Start talking," Leo didn't waste a minute. 

"It's not a sordid affair," he began. "She's my wife."

The President's jaw almost dropped but Leo froze, waiting for further explanation.

"Oh good grief. Please just tell me your mother knows about all of this." Leo knew that the wrath of the Washington Post would be nothing if Ava Lyman didn't know she was about to be a grandmother. 

Josh smiled softly. "She knows."

Leo looked relieved to say the least. "Continue."

"I met Donna five years ago at a resort on St. Thomas..." 

"Oh my God," Leo interjected. "She's Mrs. Lyman."

President Bartlet looked at Leo like he'd hit his head. "He just told you Donna is his wife! Keep up, Leo!"

Leo rolled his eyes. "I know she's Mrs. Lyman now. But I meant she's the Mrs. Lyman from the trip." 

"How do you know about that?" Josh furrowed his brow. 

"Oh please," Leo waived his hand. "Your father was one of the biggest gossips I've ever met. Especially regarding your love life. He was always trying to figure out how to get you to give him a couple grandchildren."

"Yeah," Josh looked at the floor and swallowed hard, the tone in the room immediately changing. Josh had been desperately trying not to think about that.

The President placed a hand on Josh's shoulder. "Why don't we sit down, son, and you can start from the beginning."

And so Josh explained their chance meeting, their reunion on the campaign and their elopement. 

"So, let me get this straight," the President leaned forward in his chair. "You two kept a strictly professional relationship from the time you began working on the campaign until last January?"

Josh scratched the back of his head. "Pretty much."

"And what does that mean, 'pretty much?"

"It means we weren't dating, I suppose, and we weren't sleeping together. But if I'm being honest, Sir, I'm not sure that Donna has ever been just my assistant.  Especially not last summer."

The President and Leo nodded. 

"Why did you say anything, Josh?" President Bartlet leaned forward to wait for Josh's response. 

"It was the only way I could be sure I could protect her." Josh was honest and firm. "Relationships are fragile. Especially in this town," he looked between the two older men, "and I wasn't going to lose her again."

Neither Leo nor the President could voice any protest given the upheaval in their personal lives as a result of their chosen career paths. 

"Well," Leo leaned back in his chair, "being that this is you were talking about, I assume you have a strategy. You may be completely unpredictable but you rarely under analyze a situation."

Josh couldn't help but smirk. "I may have a plan." Josh outlined what he thought would be the best course of action for the White House to handle his marriage to Donna. It involved, for the most part, no action at all. The White House would continue to use their go to line of not commenting on the personal lives of their staffers. Josh and Donna would act the same as they'd always acted. Financial disclosures, health care beneficiaries and taxes would be completed appropriately. No one would lie, no one would bend the truth. 

Leo nodded his head. "That just may work. But we're going to have to transfer Donna-"

"Leo-" Josh interjected. He didn't want to lose her in any capacity. He didn't want to spend less time with her than he already did and he knew for a fact that he'd be less effective in his job without her. 

Leo held up his hand to silence Josh. "We'll transition gradually. She can have your replacement trained and ready for her maternity leave. When she comes back she can liaise from legislative affairs to either Toby or Sam, opening up her work flexibility if she needs to be at home a few days a week to start out and still using the skill set she's acquired working for you."

Even though he wanted her to stay close to him, Josh knew this was a best case scenario. 

He nodded his head once in firm agreement. He hated to speak on behalf of Donna but he was left with very little choice. If she was truly unhappy they'd come back to the negotiating table when things had cooled down a bit more. 

Josh stood, extending his hand to shake President Bartlet and Leo's. 

"Congratulations, Josh. Give Abbey and I's best to Donna as well."  
"She's a good girl. Congratulations, Josh."

Josh knew this was likely not the end of the conversation but he was grateful to be escaping the Chief of Staff's office in one piece. "Leo, I'm not expecting immunity on this one. I'll take without protest any reprimand you feel appropriate. But I hope that any form of castigation handed down will be confined to me. Donna simply put her trust in me to make the right decisions for our family and the administration. And," he added, "her blood pressure is already a little higher than the doctors would like it to be."

"There will be no formal reproach from the White House, Josh. We will move forward with your strategy of not immediately acknowledging a major shift in dynamics." A small smile of amusement pulled at the corner of Leo's usually straight laced lips. "You will, however, have to deal with the Press Secretary on your own. I think we can all agree that's more terrifying than anything I could say to you."

"Ah, yes," Josh took a deep breath as he reached for the doorknob. "The wrath of Claudia Jean."


	17. Chapter 17

Josh emerged from Leo's office to find a very antsy, very agitated CJ sitting in the visitor's chair in Margaret's office.

"What the hell, idiot boy," she immediately shot off.

Josh scrubbed his hand over his face. He was emotionally exhausted after his conversation with Leo and it was going to take everything thus he had in him to summon the patience it was going to take to calmly explain this to CJ. 

"Did you drive today?" He stared at her, wearing his best expressionless mask. 

"What?"

"Your car. Did you drive here this morning?" Josh asked again.

"No, but what does that have to do with-"

"Come on." Josh instructed her, not waiting for her questions. "I'll give you a ride to my place. I'll answer to the press secretary in the morning, but Donna and I will sit down with her sister tonight. I'm certainly not having this conversation without her."

CJ nodded in slightly confused agreement. The two said nothing as they gathered their belongings, making the short drive to Josh's apartment. 

Josh paused as he pulled his key ring out. "I know you're angry. And that's probably a pretty natural reaction. But so help me God, CJ, that's my wife and my child so if you upset her this conversation is over."

CJ gave a small nod of understanding, though she honestly couldn't think if anything other than the fact that Josh just referred to her little sister as his wife. 

"I'm home," Josh yelled out, exhaustedly dropping his backpack in the front foyer and slamming the door behind them. CJ stood stock still and quiet, suddenly becoming incredibly uncomfortable. 

"My man," Donna retorted rounding the corner in Josh's old Mets tshirt and a pair of warm socks. She froze when she saw CJ, panic washing over her face.

"Do you even own any of your own clothes anymore, Donnatella?" Josh stepped forward, a proud smile on his face. "I'm sorry I didn't call," he told her softly, wrapping his arms around her. "But it's okay. It's all going to be okay," he gave her a tender kiss on the lips. "I'll meet you girls in the living room. Ceej, you want a drink?"

"I, uh..." she continued to stutter, staring at her sister.

"I'll take that as a yes," Josh remarked with a laugh, grabbing two beers and a water from the fridge.

CJ sat herself hesitantly into a corner chair. She looked stiff and uncomfortable, but considerably more composed than Donna.  
Josh placed a beer in front of CJ and sat down on the couch, letting out a relaxed sigh and kicking his shoes off. He placed his beer on a coaster and loosened the cap on Donna's water before handing it to her.

The three sat in silence for a moment, all of them trying to figure out where to begin. 

"CJ, I can explain-" It was Donna who began the conversation. 

"No need," CJ snapped back. "I think it's pretty obvious. You started dating Josh and lied to me about it. You lied to me. Your sister." she transferred her gaze to Josh, "And me, your friend. And me, THE PRESS SECRETARY. God, can you imagine if I'd gotten the question?"

"But you didn't," Donna piped in. 

"But I could have!" CJ was so exasperated she couldn't even decide what to focus on- so she put herself into a professional mindset. 

"But you'd didn't," Josh stated with finality. "You're good at your job, CJ, but I'm pretty damn good at mine, too. You didn't get the question. You weren't going to get the question. But we aren't here to discuss the optics, CJ. I've handled that with Leo and President Bartlet and you and I can sit down with Toby in the morning."

CJ set her jaw. If they weren't going to discuss work she supposed there was no other way to skirt the issue. "When did this start?"

"Well, I guess we officially started dating 11 months ago. After Rosslyn, we realizes how precious what we have is and we didn't want to lose each other again. Josh proposed before I knew about the MS, but then once I found out we knew we just couldn't wait any longer. We knew it was going to be hard, but we just wanted to make our relationship... permanent. We already wasted time not being together. We didn't want to go down that path again. And I'm really glad we did, because we're part of the 2% birth control failure rate."

"Why do you keep saying again?"

Donna shifted a bit, a smile climbing across her face just thinking about it. She had been waiting for years to tell CJ.  "Because I didn't meet Josh on the campaign..."

CJs face turned immediately to confusion as Donna continued to speak. 

"I met him on vacation five years ago," she beamed. "As fate would have it, Josh is the man I fell for in a Charlotte Amalie."

And what Donna imagined would be a warm hearted revelation met with delighted surprise was anything but. 

"You... what?" CJ slowly sat down her drink and clinched her jaw. 

Donna smiled, leaning into Josh's arms and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. "It was Josh. The man I fell in love with in Charlotte Amalie was Josh. It was fate."

CJ glanced around the apartment, her eyes landing on a painting of a beach scene and several framed photographs of the two of them. Her brain could hardly process what she was being told. "You?" She questioned Josh. "You're the guy from the island?" She saw the snapshot of them on what appeared to be a snorkel excursion but she still couldn't fully believe it. 

"Sure am," Josh breamed at Donna. 

"So you've been lying about this for five years, not 11 months."

"CJ," Donna practically pleaded. 

"No!" CJ snapped. "We shared a room on the campaign where I worried endlessly that you had lost the most important thing you'd ever found when you told me about him. Him!" CJ pointed at Josh. "Whom you KNEW was two doors down. You clammed up and shut me out of your life right then and there when I was doing everything I could to fix our relationship. And then you moved in and acted like everything was fine-"

"-everything was fine," Donna interjected. 

"-until you found an out. And then, you just... moved out! I've been worried sick for the last year that you'd met some jerk who was taking advantage of you, or god only knows what else!"

Donna's chin began to quiver. "But it wasn't like that," she said in a voice barely above a whisper. 

"CJ..." Josh used a warning tone and shot her a glance. 

"Stay out of this!" Both women shouted at him. 

Josh's eyebrows shot up and he took a step back. 

"I thought that you, of all people, would understand. I thought you understood what he means to me. You're the only one who knew what that week really meant to me. You're the only one who knew why I left Paul. But of course, you're too concerned about being Press Secretary to see how important this is to me."

"If it was so important to you, Donna, why didn't you tell me about it? Why'd you lie?"

"We didn't lie, CJ. We never lied about it."

"Great," she scoffed. "Another semantics lesson. It's a sin of omission, Donna. And the fact that you're so sure you didn't lie does nothing but prove your malicious intent. You went above and beyond to make sure you weren't lying, and that, as we've all had pointed out lately, can easily be construed as deceit. Congratulations. You've found a loophole."

"Now, wait a minute," Josh finally spoke up. "It's not receipt, and there's no malicious intent. We did what we thought was best for us and what I thought would be best for the administration. You can criticize my political strategy when this inevitably comes up in senior staff tomorrow, but I don't appreciate you insinuating that Donna was intentionally deceptive."

"Well in the hell else would you call it?!" CJ was stark raving mad, her voice approaching a shout. 

"I never meant for it to be like this," Donna chimed in her voice becoming a bit more frantic as the conversation continued, setting Josh on edge as well. 

"Well you could have spoken up at any time," CJ snapped back. 

"Well we're telling you now! Is this really all you have to say? You're just going to yell at me?"

"What do you want me to say, Donna?" CJ was exasperated and Donna was clearly on the brink of tears. "Am I supposed to act like everything is just fine now? Am I supposed to tell you that I don't feel completely taken advantage of? Because that's certainly not the case." She looked away for a moment, shaking her head. "You might want to call your mother. She'd probably like some notice before she sees this on the news or her visibly pregnant daughter shows up for the holidays with her secret husband, who just happens to be her boss."

"Okay, that's enough," Josh interrupted. He could see the anger rising to peak levels in both of them. "You're both exhausted. I think you've already said things you don't mean to each other, and another couple of rounds isn't going to help anything. One of you might score a knockout punch but you'll just regret it in the long run."

Both women glared at him, it didn't even matter that he was making sense.

"We ALL have a lot to do tomorrow, and this isn't healthy for Donna or the baby. It's time to call it a night. CJ, get your coat, I'll drive you home."

"I'll walk," CJ stated flatly. 

"No, you most certainly will not," Josh stated in a tone of voice that left little room for argument. "Its late and you're distracted. I know it's only a couple blocks but its late and I don't want you walking." He'd already grabbed his keys and jacket. He gave Donna a quick kiss and followed CJ to his car where she begrudgingly accepted a ride. 

The pair once again sat cloaked in silence on the ride, CJs arms crossed as she stared out the passenger side window. She muttered a halfhearted 'thanks for the ride' upon arrival in front of her building, and exited the vehicle as quickly as she could. 

"CJ?" Josh called out before she closed the door. "I know you're really angry with us right now. Mostly hurt, I suspect. But you are still my friend, and you are our family. We'll be here whenever you're ready. I hope it's not too long."

She nodded once. "See you in the morning, Josh," she stated before closing the door. She still had a lot to process.


	18. Chapter 18

"Josh?" She yawned into the phone. 

"Donna? Is everything okay?"

"You're not home," she responded sleepily. "It's 4 and I rolled over and you're not here."

A little smirk graced his face. "You rolled? Why do I doubt that?" She was heavily pregnant and he couldn't help but to playfully point out her lack of mobility. 

"You know what I mean," she whined. "I reached over. You weren't there."

He sighed. "I know. And I'm not even close to done over here. I'm sorry."

"S'okay," she yawned. "But you need to sleep, too. Promise me you'll take a nap in Toby's office and I'll bring you a change of clothes and breakfast."

"Kay," he smiled softly at her concern. "Go back to sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

But when Donna strode into the West Wing the next morning it was a normal flurry of chaos. 

"Good morning," she greeted him with a kiss on the cheek as she placed his breakfast in front of him. 

"Hi," he tucked her hair behind her ear, his stress level decreasing with her very presence. "How'd you sleep?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I was a little lonely. But I guess I'll live since I have four whole interrupted days with you starting tonight."

He smiled through his exhaustion. "I can't wait to get out of town. I know we're just going to my Moms but-"

"I know." She cut him off. "Me too."

They'd been surrounded by tension and unsolicited opinions for the past week. And although she and CJ weren't giving each other the silent treatment, they weren't exactly back to normal either. Their marriage had taken the West Wing by surprise. They'd let their close friends in on the secret and both had been slightly more open about their relationship in hopes that the truth would slowly permeate through the ranks and seem like old news. And for the most part, it had. No word in the press, no backlash from staffers. 

She perched on the corner of his desk and reached into the small cardboard box she was toting around. "Breakfast," she announced, handing him a to go container. "We're all packed. What time does our flight leave?"

"Hmm?" He was distracted by the sight of food after a long night in his office. 

"Our flight," she reiterated. "To your mother's house."

"We're driving," he gave her an odd look. 

"Driving?! Josh, you can't be serious."

Something flashed through Josh's mind, and Donna saw a sudden look of comprehension on his face. 

"Uh oh." It wasn't something that was often heard from the mouth of the Deputy Chief of Staff. 

"What?" Donna crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at Josh's sheepish expression. 

"I need you to book our tickets to Florida."

"For tonight?! Josh!"

He cringed, remembering telling her weeks ago that he'd make all the arrangements and wondering why she was even worried about it. 

"I'm sorry," he offered, knowing that may not cut it. 

"It's the day before Thanksgiving!"

"I know..."

"-the busiest travel day of the year!"

"I know..."

"and you not only didn't book our tickets, you're waiting until the day of to ask me to handle it?" She was annoyed but not mad. This wasn't like him. 

"I forgot..." he muttered, looking rather sheepish. "I forgot that she doesn't live in Connecticut anymore."

With that Donna's anger disappeared as she erupted into a full laugh and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. "I'll take care of it," she assured him, wiping a trace of her lipstick away with a sassy smile. "But I'm telling your mother you forgot where she lives."

OoooooooO

By the time they'd landed in Florida, after an overbooked flight, a layover in Atlanta as required by Leo, and a bumpy second flight, Josh was close to screaming. A reality brought even closer by the fact that they were given what appeared to be the very last rental car in the Sunshine State- a van that had been recently sideswiped. 

"Whatever," Josh had remarked, grabbing the keys only to realize he wasn't precisely sure where he was going. After getting lost twice and remaining unable to locate a place to grab a quick sandwich, they finally pulled into Ava Lyman's condo complex past 2 am. But Josh's spirit brightened slightly on the way to the front door as he carried their bag and helped his exhausted, pregnant wife along the sidewalk. Yes, he thought. This is how it should be. 

He rang the bell and snaked his arm around Donna's waist. "I'm sorry I was so cranky earlier," he told her as he gave her a soft kiss on the head. "I just hate commercial air travel."

Donna snickered a bit at his comment but she had to admit- it would a long time before she willingly flew on anything but Air Force One on a holiday weekend again. 

Just then the door flew open and the usually reserved Ava let out a small squeal and opened her arms. "Look at you," she pulled Donna into a hug, leaving Josh momentarily stunned on the front stoop. "Oh and my grand baby!" Ava immediately pat Donna's tummy before pulling them inside. 

"Hello, Mother. I'm here, too," Josh said with a bit of a tone. But when Ava finally looked at him, she could see that he was beaming with pride. Nothing about his mother's greeting of his wife and unborn child bothered him at all.

She turned to him and cupped his face, standing on her tip toes to kiss his cheek. He was a completely new man as he stood in front of her again for the first time since she’d left his apartment after nursing him back to health following Rosslyn. Ava always knew that Donna was exactly the medicine he needed. And she could certainly see that he had a new outlook on life. "Baby boy," she practically whispered, thrilled at the changes in the sincerity of his smile. "It's so good to see you."

 

OooooooO

Josh was exhausted from the days leading up to Thanksgiving and slept later than he had in years that morning. He stirred when Donna got up, but she kissed him softly and ran her fingers lightly through his curls. “Go back to sleep. You need rest. But Baby is awake so I’m going to help your Mom get the turkey started.”

“Kay,” he mumbled into his pillow, too exhausted to protest her absence as she pulled on some clothes and slipped out the door.

Donna and Ava spent the morning chatting and peeling potatoes in the kitchen. Ava shared stories about Josh and Joanie as children and they’d flipped through a small album of photos, Donna oohing and ahhing over Josh’s tiny little dimples.

“I hope you don’t mind,” Ava began somewhat timidly. “But Josh told me about the name you selected.”

“I hope it’s okay-“ Donna began, unsure of where the conversation was going.

Ava nodded softly as she placed the book of memories back on the shelf, pausing only briefly. “I think it’s wonderful, dear. Wonderful.” 

The two made their way back to the breakfast nook as Ava pulled the family China from her hutch. The turkey was roasting in the oven and the meal preparation was running smoothly. Ava left her back door open to the sidewalk as she often did, the warm Florida breeze filling the apartment and the residents of her condo complex making their daily rounds to check in on each other and chat. “Condo politics, dear,” Ava explained. “Everyone is in and out all the time.”

When Josh finally drug himself out of bed he remained in a groggy haze. His bare feet shuffled down the hall as he pulled on a tshirt to go with his haphazardly thrown on sweat pants and wild bed head. Yawning, he wrapped his arms around Donna’s waist as she stood at the sink. “Good Morning, Baby,” he kissed her cheek, his hands moving to her abdomen and his fingers drumming on her bump. “Good Morning, Baby,” he repeated.

“Well isn’t that just THE absolute CUTEST!”

Josh jumped slightly, startle at the unfamiliar voice. And when he looked to his right he flushed with embarrassment, meeting the gazes of four strangers crowded around his mother’s breakfast table with coffee and Danish. 

He blinked a few times, trying to figure out what was happening before an elderly man stepped forward and extended his hand to shake Josh’s.

“Stu Robertson,” the man introduced himself. “I didn’t vote for your guy.”

“You mean the President,” Josh corrected, raising his eyebrows at bit but Donna stepped in, rescuing him as she often did from a social encounter beginning to go south. ”And this is Bob’s wife Patty,” Donna began. “They live two doors down. And these two lovely ladies are Marge and Judy.”

“Good Morning,” Josh shot the women a smile, instantly winning them over. Even in a sleepy haze he could still work a room.

“The ladies were just giving me some parenting advice.” 

Josh glanced over at his wife. He knew a fake smile when he saw one and that, he was sure, was a fake smile. “Oh?” He almost didn’t want to ask.

“I was just explaining to your little wife here,” Patty began, Josh immediately bristling at the tone she took when referring to Donna, “about the benefits of cloth diapers. It’s truly the only way to go.”

Donna snuck a look at Josh’s reaction, having to bite her tongue at the look of sheer horror on his face. Everyone knew Josh Lyman had a weak stomach, and though Donna was absolutely sure he would be an amazing father and an equal partner in the work when the baby came, she also knew that the thought of rinsing a cloth diaper would stop him in his tracks. 

“Thanks Patty,” Donna offered. “Certainly a lot to consider. Now, if you’ll excuse us we better get ready for the day.” 

Donna took his hand and led him back down the hallway towards the guest room where they were staying. 

“Donna?” He practically squeaked her name. “Dear God! IS that something we’re considering??”

Donna couldn't help but grin. She was honestly tempted to have a little fun with him, but she knew Josh was right on the edge of freaking out over this particular topic. So instead she'd have a little fun over the politics.

"No," she assured him. "But Patty will never know that. I've given our political enemies absolutely nothing. No promises, no reassurances, no ammunition to use against us in the future. The empire is safe."

"Our political enemies?" He rolled his eyes at the thought of Stu and Patty being his strongest opposition. 

"Mhmm," she continued. "For when your Mom runs for President."

"My WHAT runs for WHAT?" He stopped dead in his track in the hallway. 

She grinned broadly, knowing what was running through his sleep deprived political mind. "When your mother," she grabbed his hand, tugging him along, "runs for Condo Board President next term. I told her Baby and I would come down and help her campaign. Sam's in, too. I called him this morning and he will draft a few things. I was going to try and recruit you but from the looks of things in the kitchen I've got things under control." She leaned over and kissed his cheek, giving him a sly grin and her hand moved to give a playful smack on the ass. "I may need an assistant though, if you know of anyone."

Josh grinned broadly. "You're a political genius, Donnatella. And that's only one of the many, many reasons I love you."

"I learned from the master, babe. I learned from the master."


	19. Chapter 19

The senior staff walked through the corridors in a herd, heading for their respective parts of the building after their mid-afternoon meeting with Leo disbanded.

 

“Josh.” CJ pointed at her younger sister as soon as they rounded the corner into his bullpen, sitting at her desk and eyeballing a cheeseburger like she was in love.

 

Donna opened her mouth to take a large bite when she felt it being yanked from her hands.

 

“NO!” Josh proclaimed in a somewhat shaky voice, grabbing the burger from Donna’s hands and leaving her in a stunned silence.

 

He stood, holding her snack, as she looked at him like he’d grown a second head.

 

Josh dropped the burger into her trash can and Donna stared at it, and then back at Josh, directing an angry pout at him.

 

“What was that all about?”

 

“Why are you eating red meat?” They were in the middle of the bullpen, so Josh tried for deflection.

 

“I can eat red meat.” She was fairly sure he’d lost his mind.

 

“Yeah, but… it’s made you sick the whole pregnancy.”

 

“Well it sounds good now!” She felt both the volume and annoyance in her voice escalate.

 

“Ill go get you a salad,” he offered. “From that place down the street you like.”

 

"I don't want a salad you Neanderthal! I wanted that burger and I wanted it right now! Your daughter apparently takes after YOU! Now I have to go all the way back to the mess and have them burn another burger." Donna huffed in dissatisfaction and grabbed her wallet, stomping off to the mess.

 

“Easy, killer,” CJ grabbed her by the arm and pulled her aside.

 

Donna was a bit thrown off. They hadn’t exactly been chatty lately.

 

“Look, I’m always the first person to tell your husband when he’s being an idiot but cut him some slack on this one.” She lowered her voice. “Leo just briefed us on a Mad Cow Disease scare. That’s why I pointed out your burger. You know… just incase.”

 

“Oh.” Donna’s expression was appropriately contrite, given her reaction to Josh. “Well… Thank you,” she told CJ.

 

CJ gave her a sly, conspiratorial grin. It was a look Donna hadn’t seen in months. “Oh, don’t thank me. Send Josh out to buy us lunch.”

 

Donna smirked and peeked her head around the corner to catch his eye.

 

CJ just shook her head as the Deputy Chief of Staff came running.

 

“Salad?” he asked hopefully.

 

“Yes,” she practically laughed. “But you don’t have time to go get it. CJ and I will order delivery. Do you want me to order you a sandwich for after your next meeting?”

 

“Please and thank you,” he responded, kissing her cheek, pleased by the sound of the sisters agreeing on something- even if it was only a lunch order.

 

Donna followed CJ into her office and picked up the phone, punching in the number for one of their favorite lunch spots.

 

 

"I need a club sandwich. And 2 Grilled Chicken Salads. Ranch and Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing, both on the side. Oh, and I'll have a chocolate shake, extra whipped cream and two cherries... And do you have potato chips? Salt and vinegar, please. Two bags. And what about caramel corn? Man, I'd really like some caramel corn."

CJ could barely contain herself listening to Donna order. She hadn't seen her sister eat like this since her high school days.

Donna hung up the phone and turned to CJ. "Food'll be here in 30... What's so funny?"

 

“Nothing,” CJ composed herself and flopped down on the couch.

 

Donna stood, somewhat awkwardly by the desk. It had been quite a while since the two were alone in a room together. They’d both been avoiding it like the plague.

 

“So… a daughter?” CJ finally broke the silence.

 

“Hmmm?” Donna had been completely lost in thought.

 

“I heard you say ‘your daughter’ to Josh earlier. It’s a girl?”

 

Donna nodded her head in affirmation. “Yes,” she grinned. “It’s a girl.”

 

CJ gave a genuine smile, meeting Donna’s eyes. “That’s great. Congratulations.”

 

“Thank you,” Donna spoke softly into the mostly silent room.

 

It broke CJ’s heart that she was missing such important moments over something that couldn’t be changed. Her earlier conversation with Toby rang through her head. The communications director had told her, in no uncertain terms, to knock it off. She’d been huffy and defensive at the time, but she knew he was right. She’d been thinking about it for weeks. Truth be told, if she could line up every man she knew, hell, every man in the world, to pick someone for Donna, she’d choose Josh a million times over. She knew he loved her unconditionally, and their quiet little moments weren’t lost on her. They had the marriage that everyone wished for.

 

“I’m happy for you, you know.” CJ jumped right in. They had to get past this. “For you and Josh. I just- I’m sorry if I hadn’t made that clear. I actually think you’re perfect for each other and, God, if ending up with him isn’t fate I don’t know what is. I mean, it was pretty clear that you were in love with him on the island and then for him to be on the campaign and…”

 

Donna let out a little laugh, still staring at what she could still see of her feet. “I know,” she admitted, a soft smile of fond remembrance on her face. CJ was the only one who truly knew how it was when she met Josh. Sure, the others had been filled in but it wasn’t the same. CJ heard it play by play in the heat of the moment and the still of the heartbreak. She understood.

 

“Do you have a name picked out? For the baby?” CJ realized at that moment that her little sister’s ability to shift from topic to topic faster than anyone she knew may have been a feature of their childhood home. CJ had inherited it, too.

 

“Ummm… We do, actually,” Donna shifted slightly, feeling somewhat nervous.

 

“And knowing you two it has 100 layers of meaning,” CJ somewhat joked. Josh and Donna neither did anything without thinking it through.

 

“Well, we wanted to name her after the place we met. That week meant everything to both of us for so long. And she’ll mean everything to both of us forever. But we also wanted to name her after two of the most important women in our lives.”

 

“Oh?” CJ wasn’t quite following.

 

Donna looked up and bit her lip, realizing just how much she’d missed her big sister over the last weeks. “We’re naming her Charlotte Joan,” she stated softly. “If it’s okay with you.”

 

“Charlotte Joan… CJ? You’re really…?” The waterworks began as soon as Donna nodded her confirmation, the sisters unable to resist a large hug.

 

“I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you,” Donna cried, referring to more than their baby name choice. 3

 

“And I’m so sorry for the way I reacted. I was just caught off guard and overwhelmed and-”

 

“I know. It’s okay,” Donna sniffled. “I just really want her to have you around. And I want you around, too,” she admitted.

 

CJ wiped her eyes and sat down, Donna sliding onto the couch next to her. “I was really worried about you there for a while. You have grown so much in the last several years but I'll always be your big sister, and I was just worried that you might have found another Paul. I shouldn't have doubted you. I'm sorry. But I shouldn't have given you the cold shoulder this long. I miss you.”

 

“You know, I have to say, some of the details you’ve given me… It’s hard to believe you were talking about Josh.” CJ cracked open a Diet Coke. “I mean, I could have definitely lived without some of that knowledge,” she giggled. “He’ll be screaming about God knows what in Leo’s office and his hands are waiving around wildly and I can’t seem to think of anything except you telling me what else they’re capable of. I mean, God, Donna,” CJ laughed. “It’s horrifying! I don’t want to think about that.”

 

Donna giggled too. “Hey, you asked.”

 

“Ugh,” CJ sighed. “I suppose I did. Live and learn.”

 

The women both felt the tension between them begin to disappear as they ate and caught up on day to day bits of both of their lives. They didn’t even see the time, only pausing to take in their surroundings again when Josh knocked on the open door.

 

“Did you ladies have a nice lunch?” He was almost afraid to ask.

 

Both nodded their heads in agreement. “CJ’s coming over for dinner on Sunday,” Donna announced. “Family tradition.”

 

Josh nodded his approval in support of Donna’s plan and extended a welcome smile to CJ. “Sounds great to me.” He placed a small white bag on the table between them.

 

CJ almost groaned. The thought of anyone consuming more food was absolutely mortifying to her.

 

“Oohh! Warm chocolate chip cookies!” Donna grabbed the bag and took a big bite, savoring the treat.” Josh leaned over and kissed the top of her head, patting her bump. He knew, for a fact, that he’d do anything in the world to keep his little family happy and safe.

 

He let her enjoy her dessert for a moment before piping up. “I’m glad you two talked, and from the looks of things we’re all friends again. CJ, I promise we won’t keep anything like that from you again, and I want you to know that you’re family and we’re always here for you- no matter what. But right now? It’s time to roll up our sleeves, there’s work to be done. The people around us,” he gestured vaguely in the direction of Toby and Sam’s offices, “they’re family too. We’re not giving up the White House.”

 

CJ nodded her approval as Josh extended his hand to help Donna up from the couch, placing his hand on the small of her back. “Come on Mrs. Lyman. You know I can’t do this without you.”

 

Donna leaned in to give him a quick peck on the lips, a rare occurrence inside the walls of the White House but she didn’t care- everything in her life was right where she wanted it.

 

Josh grinned genuinely at her. “What’s next?”

 

The senior staff walked through the corridors in a herd, heading for their respective parts of the building after their mid-afternoon meeting with Leo disbanded.

 

“Josh.” CJ pointed at her younger sister as soon as they rounded the corner into his bullpen, sitting at her desk and eyeballing a cheeseburger like she was in love.

 

Donna opened her mouth to take a large bite when she felt it being yanked from her hands.

 

“NO!” Josh proclaimed in a somewhat shaky voice, grabbing the burger from Donna’s hands and leaving her in a stunned silence.

 

He stood, holding her snack, as she looked at him like he’d grown a second head.

 

Josh dropped the burger into her trash can and Donna stared at it, and then back at Josh, directing an angry pout at him.

 

“What was that all about?”

 

“Why are you eating red meat?” They were in the middle of the bullpen, so Josh tried for deflection.

 

“I can eat red meat.” She was fairly sure he’d lost his mind.

 

“Yeah, but… it’s made you sick the whole pregnancy.”

 

“Well it sounds good now!” She felt both the volume and annoyance in her voice escalate.

 

“Ill go get you a salad,” he offered. “From that place down the street you like.”

 

"I don't want a salad you Neanderthal! I wanted that burger and I wanted it right now! Your daughter apparently takes after YOU! Now I have to go all the way back to the mess and have them burn another burger." Donna huffed in dissatisfaction and grabbed her wallet, stomping off to the mess.

 

“Easy, killer,” CJ grabbed her by the arm and pulled her aside.

 

Donna was a bit thrown off. They hadn’t exactly been chatty lately.

 

“Look, I’m always the first person to tell your husband when he’s being an idiot but cut him some slack on this one.” She lowered her voice. “Leo just briefed us on a Mad Cow Disease scare. That’s why I pointed out your burger. You know… just incase.”

 

“Oh.” Donna’s expression was appropriately contrite, given her reaction to Josh. “Well… Thank you,” she told CJ.

 

CJ gave her a sly, conspiratorial grin. It was a look Donna hadn’t seen in months. “Oh, don’t thank me. Send Josh out to buy us lunch.”

 

Donna smirked and peeked her head around the corner to catch his eye.

 

CJ just shook her head as the Deputy Chief of Staff came running.

 

“Salad?” he asked hopefully.

 

“Yes,” she practically laughed. “But you don’t have time to go get it. CJ and I will order delivery. Do you want me to order you a sandwich for after your next meeting?”

 

“Please and thank you,” he responded, kissing her cheek, pleased by the sound of the sisters agreeing on something- even if it was only a lunch order.

 

Donna followed CJ into her office and picked up the phone, punching in the number for one of their favorite lunch spots.

 

 

"I need a club sandwich. And 2 Grilled Chicken Salads. Ranch and Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing, both on the side. Oh, and I'll have a chocolate shake, extra whipped cream and two cherries... And do you have potato chips? Salt and vinegar, please. Two bags. And what about caramel corn? Man, I'd really like some caramel corn."

CJ could barely contain herself listening to Donna order. She hadn't seen her sister eat like this since her high school days.

Donna hung up the phone and turned to CJ. "Food'll be here in 30... What's so funny?"

 

“Nothing,” CJ composed herself and flopped down on the couch.

 

Donna stood, somewhat awkwardly by the desk. It had been quite a while since the two were alone in a room together. They’d both been avoiding it like the plague.

 

“So… a daughter?” CJ finally broke the silence.

 

“Hmmm?” Donna had been completely lost in thought.

 

“I heard you say ‘your daughter’ to Josh earlier. It’s a girl?”

 

Donna nodded her head in affirmation. “Yes,” she grinned. “It’s a girl.”

 

CJ gave a genuine smile, meeting Donna’s eyes. “That’s great. Congratulations.”

 

“Thank you,” Donna spoke softly into the mostly silent room.

 

It broke CJ’s heart that she was missing such important moments over something that couldn’t be changed. Her earlier conversation with Toby rang through her head. The communications director had told her, in no uncertain terms, to knock it off. She’d been huffy and defensive at the time, but she knew he was right. She’d been thinking about it for weeks. Truth be told, if she could line up every man she knew, hell, every man in the world, to pick someone for Donna, she’d choose Josh a million times over. She knew he loved her unconditionally, and their quiet little moments weren’t lost on her. They had the marriage that everyone wished for.

 

“I’m happy for you, you know.” CJ jumped right in. They had to get past this. “For you and Josh. I just- I’m sorry if I hadn’t made that clear. I actually think you’re perfect for each other and, God, if ending up with him isn’t fate I don’t know what is. I mean, it was pretty clear that you were in love with him on the island and then for him to be on the campaign and…”

 

Donna let out a little laugh, still staring at what she could still see of her feet. “I know,” she admitted, a soft smile of fond remembrance on her face. CJ was the only one who truly knew how it was when she met Josh. Sure, the others had been filled in but it wasn’t the same. CJ heard it play by play in the heat of the moment and the still of the heartbreak. She understood.

 

“Do you have a name picked out? For the baby?” CJ realized at that moment that her little sister’s ability to shift from topic to topic faster than anyone she knew may have been a feature of their childhood home. CJ had inherited it, too.

 

“Ummm… We do, actually,” Donna shifted slightly, feeling somewhat nervous.

 

“And knowing you two it has 100 layers of meaning,” CJ somewhat joked. Josh and Donna neither did anything without thinking it through.

 

“Well, we wanted to name her after the place we met. That week meant everything to both of us for so long. And she’ll mean everything to both of us forever. But we also wanted to name her after two of the most important women in our lives.”

 

“Oh?” CJ wasn’t quite following.

 

Donna looked up and bit her lip, realizing just how much she’d missed her big sister over the last weeks. “We’re naming her Charlotte Joan,” she stated softly. “If it’s okay with you.”

 

“Charlotte Joan… CJ? You’re really…?” The waterworks began as soon as Donna nodded her confirmation, the sisters unable to resist a large hug.

 

“I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you,” Donna cried, referring to more than their baby name choice. 3

 

“And I’m so sorry for the way I reacted. I was just caught off guard and overwhelmed and-”

 

“I know. It’s okay,” Donna sniffled. “I just really want her to have you around. And I want you around, too,” she admitted.

 

CJ wiped her eyes and sat down, Donna sliding onto the couch next to her. “I was really worried about you there for a while. You have grown so much in the last several years but I'll always be your big sister, and I was just worried that you might have found another Paul. I shouldn't have doubted you. I'm sorry. But I shouldn't have given you the cold shoulder this long. I miss you.”

 

“You know, I have to say, some of the details you’ve given me… It’s hard to believe you were talking about Josh.” CJ cracked open a Diet Coke. “I mean, I could have definitely lived without some of that knowledge,” she giggled. “He’ll be screaming about God knows what in Leo’s office and his hands are waiving around wildly and I can’t seem to think of anything except you telling me what else they’re capable of. I mean, God, Donna,” CJ laughed. “It’s horrifying! I don’t want to think about that.”

 

Donna giggled too. “Hey, you asked.”

 

“Ugh,” CJ sighed. “I suppose I did. Live and learn.”

 

The women both felt the tension between them begin to disappear as they ate and caught up on day to day bits of both of their lives. They didn’t even see the time, only pausing to take in their surroundings again when Josh knocked on the open door.

 

“Did you ladies have a nice lunch?” He was almost afraid to ask.

 

Both nodded their heads in agreement. “CJ’s coming over for dinner on Sunday,” Donna announced. “Family tradition.”

 

Josh nodded his approval in support of Donna’s plan and extended a welcome smile to CJ. “Sounds great to me.” He placed a small white bag on the table between them.

 

CJ almost groaned. The thought of anyone consuming more food was absolutely mortifying to her.

 

“Oohh! Warm chocolate chip cookies!” Donna grabbed the bag and took a big bite, savoring the treat.” Josh leaned over and kissed the top of her head, patting her bump. He knew, for a fact, that he’d do anything in the world to keep his little family happy and safe.

 

He let her enjoy her dessert for a moment before piping up. “I’m glad you two talked, and from the looks of things we’re all friends again. CJ, I promise we won’t keep anything like that from you again, and I want you to know that you’re family and we’re always here for you- no matter what. But right now? It’s time to roll up our sleeves, there’s work to be done. The people around us,” he gestured vaguely in the direction of Toby and Sam’s offices, “they’re family too. We’re not giving up the White House.”

 

CJ nodded her approval as Josh extended his hand to help Donna up from the couch, placing his hand on the small of her back.

 

“Come on Mrs. Lyman. You know I can’t do this without you.”

 

Donna leaned in to give him a quick peck on the lips, a rare occurrence inside the walls of the White House but she didn’t care- everything in her life was right where she wanted it.

 

Josh grinned genuinely at her. “What’s next?”

 

THE END


	20. Epilogue

EPILOGUE

*November 2016*

Donna heard the door slam shut, and woke up to the sound of the TV announcer repeating the results. She threw the covers off and stood up, turning off the television in disgust. Unbelievable. Maybe, she thinks, they should never have left DC. Josh would NEVER have let this happen if he'd been there. No, he'd have worked himself into an early grave to avoid it. But, that's why they'd needed to come here, away from everything, back to the beginning. They'd earned the right to their retirement. To their happiness.

She walked out on to the deck and found him standing at the rail, staring out at the ocean. The combination of the sound of the waves crashing and his presence immediately soothed her soul, just as it had on the night that she met him, many years ago. She wrapped her arms around Josh from behind.

"How ya doin?"

"I'm sorry if I woke you."

She wasn't surprised by his non-answer. "It's okay," she leaned against him and closed her eyes for a second. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. Just… frustrated."

"Do you want to go back? Take another stab at fixing the world?" Her offer was genuine. And she knew he could help to do it, too, if he set his mind to it.

He turned and faced her. His hair was white now, aged by time and stress, but his eyes were the same warm brown she fell in love with almost two decades ago, behind the black framed glasses.

"No," he told her without wavering. "Our life is here now. We're happy here. I get to spend my days with you, we can sit down as a family for dinner every night and just… relax. Besides, Charlotte loves it here, and we only have a few more years until she goes to college. I don't want to miss out on this time with her. Time as a family. What about you? Do you want to go back?" There was no limit to what he would do for her. If she wanted to go back to DC, he'd immediately move heaven and earth to make it happen.

"No," she told him, her arms gently finding their way to slowly wrap around him as she met his gaze as he looked at her with all the love in the world. "Everything I need is right here on this Island."

 

A/N: If you're still out there reading this... THANK YOU x100. I appreciate each and every one of you :) This 'little story' kind of got away from me and took on its own life. Hope you enjoyed it!


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